Memories of Granny

Today I started the CAL being run by Knit4Charities. This is the first of three squares and will be going to support one of our charities in August. We will be sending the squares to the member collecting for this charity and she will join them into rugs for Project Love and Care. My square still needs to be finished and blocked but anyway, here it is .....




We've also been talking about squares on Australiacrochet today and I found myself on Ravelry again, looking for a pattern similar to the square Val sent me (picture in previous post). Found one which is a bit like it but I had to modify it a bit to make it the size I wanted. Haven't blocked it yet but this is what its looking like .....


Bendigo 8ply Classic, 4.50mm hook.

By the way, if you're wanting the pattern for the square Val sent me, you can find it here.

The 'kids' haven't appeared on my blog for awhile - here's a shot of the Chinnies taken about 10 minutes ago ...



Reminds me of that childrens ditty "There were three in the bed and the middle one said roll over, roll over".

Madison has had such a busy day today. She spent the first 16 hours or so of it as a big lump in my daughter's bed but now she's stretched out on a warm fluffy bankie in front of the telly and wants to wish you all a very good night.

Today's mail

I received this lovely square today from my partner in the July round of Australiacrochet's 7" square exchange and thought you might like a peek.



Thanks Val. I hope you don't mind me sharing with my friends in the blog-world.

Have a great weekend.

The first one bites the dust !

Remember those six potholders I made for gifts ? Well, I've decided to do six dishcloths to go with them. Just finished No.1 ...



Did this in Bendigo Woolen Mills 8ply cotton with a 3.50mm hook. Its just a basic V-stitch pattern with a few rounds of dc (or sc if you're American) around the edge and finished off with a round of crab stitch. The main part is a mocha type colour and the border is cream (or I think they call it parchment). Might do No. 2 the other way around.

I am so tempted to buy that book on eBay but I'm trying to be strong. The cost of the book isn't so bad but the postage is about $15 so all up it would be a bit pricey. The pattern I really like is the dog bed (pic in yesterdays post)but I'm thinking it wouldn't be all that hard to work out a similar pattern. To take my mind off it last night, I trawled around a bit on Ravelry and came across a nice square pattern. So, out with the yarn and hook and a little while later ...



Had to modify the pattern a bit to make it 7" square so I could use it for the Australiacrochet square exchange. Used Naturally Loyal 8ply (machine washable) with a 4.50mm hook. If you're interested in the pattern and you're on Ravelry, you'll find it here.

Is it recipe time ? Let's go back awhile - do you remember this one ?

NUTS & BOLTS

1 large pkt Nutrigrain (about 600g I think)
1 pkt French Onion Soup powder
1 pkt Cream of Chicken soup powder
1 desertspoon Curry powder
½ cup warm oil
1 cup sultanas (optional)
1 cup unsalted peanuts

Mix all together and don't eat all at once. !!!!

Stay away from eBay

I really should stay away from eBay but am being very tempted to buy a new book (just what I need) which contains a mixture of different type of patterns including this example of super cute-ness which I simply must share with you .....



Now how gorgeous is that ? If you're interested in taking a peek at the other things in the book, you can check it out here.

I also found something else on eBay but its not for sale. This is fun - have a look



Now try and get that song out of your head :)

Tired of seeing Julia

I visit my blog every day so I can read the latest posts from the blog list (on right hand side) ... and I am so sick of seeing that picture of Julia that I thought the best way to overcome this problem was to post something myself so she'll just move on down the page. Mind you, having said that, I think we'll all be seeing lots of Julia and her colleagues and/or opponents in the next few weeks leading up to August 21 !!!!

The weather here has been so cold and miserable lately that staying indoors and playing with the hooks and yarn in front of a nice warm heater has been the best option. So, I have a few things to show you .....



The pattern for this little doily was from The Crochet Spot and is called Hipster Doily. Its very easy but quite pretty I think. I used bedspread weight thread (No.10) with a 3.00mm hook. Finished size is 7 inches.



Spent most of last week working on these potholders which I made as gifts. I love this fun pattern and really enjoy playing with the different colour combinations. These ones are made with Naturally Loyal 8ply machine washable wool and a 4.50mm hook. The pattern used to be free on the internet but unfortunately I can't find it now. I kept a copy and there is one in the files of Australiacrochet group on yahoo. I believe Naturally Loyal wool is relatively new in Australia - its from New Zealand and they have an amazing range of colours. I think there are about 46 in all. It cost me $4.95 for a 50g ball at my local store but you can get it for $3.95 online at Craftee Cottage but they would no doubt charge for postage on top of that.



Patons Tasman Sport 8ply caught my eye last time I was in Lincraft. I think its called Sport because of the footy team colours. Naturally I had to buy a few balls to see what it was like. The way the colours worked in this crochet hat was interesting. I also have a blue and white ball which I think I may knit up to see how that turns out. I'm collecting chemo beanies/caps on behalf of Knit4Charities in support of the Beanie Basket project being run by a lady in Canberra so these hats will be added to that collection.

Before I finish this post, I want to show you something which I think is absolutely amazing. The vest was knitted many years ago by a man and was brought in to CWA by one of our members for display in one of our recent craft exhibitions. Have a look at this ...........



... and here's a close-up



Talking of CWA, here's an interesting little recipe for you.

Three Ingredient Fruit Cake

1kg mixed dried fruit
600ml chocolate flavoured milk
2 cups self raising flour

Soak fruit in milk overnight.
Mix in flour.
Bake at 160 degrees C for about 1 and 1/2 hours(or bottom shelf at 130 degrees for 2 hours).

Can substitute milk with 2 cups strong black coffee or tea, or 600ml unsweetened orange juice.

Note: If top is getting too dark, cover with foil towards the end of cooking time.
Keep 2-3 days before cutting.

Enjoy !!

Canberra 23/6 9 to 9

Time to present the present

Mothers Day has come and gone for another year and I hope all the mums had a lovely day. After spending a wonderful day with my family, I opened the gift my partner sent me in Australiacrochet group's Mothers Day Exchange. Look what I received from Pat in Tasmania .....



The little sachet has a vanilla scented envelope inside it and the fragrance is divine. I'm going to hang the sachet in my wardrobe and of course use the washer in the shower.

I haven't been too motivated with regard to knitting and crochet lately so decided to have a change and play with my looms. Most of the patterns are American and they use double worsted weight which equates to about 20ply so I tried using 3 strands of 8ply and am quite pleased with the look.



It is a very thick hat and will certainly keep the wearer very warm. Next time I feel inclined to loom knitting, I'll try a man's sized one to go with my charity donations. Getting a bit sick of doing hats for now and my next project is going to be a little cardigan from a Debbie Bliss book I have on loan from the library.

Did you hear about Julie Andrew's 'comeback' - I think it was in London. Apparently she wasn't able to reach the high notes she once could and only sang for about 20 minutes in the 2 hour concert. I heard a Sydney radio announcer say "Super Julie's comeback vocals really were atrocious" - funny Alan !! This reminded me of the clip made at Central Station in Antwerp awhile back .. click here to take a look, its amazing.

Then of course the ripple effect comes into play and the folk in Stockholm didn't want to be outdone - Michael Jackson fans will enjoy this.

I do spend far too much time on the computer but before I finish, a friend of mine on Facebook posted this gem today. Imagine what it would be like if the real world was like Facebook !!



Now I must go check my cafe and farm. See ya ..