iRead (nothing grey) 2012

"Verlede jaar het ek vir die eerste keer begin om 'n lys te maak van die boeke wat ek lees. Wow. 95. En baie het ek vergeet om in te sluit! Maar dit was lekker om terug te kyk oor die jaar en te sien watter temas/skryfstyle my getrek het! Ek hoop om hierdie jaar meer gedissiplineerd te wees en ek hoop om my vas te loop in goeie goeie goeie goeie (soos Reinhardt bid vir goeie drome) lékker boeke te lees. "

(Ek's al klaar bietjie slimmer, en maak van die begin af kategorieë):

Dit was my...uhm..gevleuelde woorde aan die begin van die jaar...Dissipline was by die deur uit.  Aandagspan ook.  Daarom 'n mengsel van ligte, kort boeke, met hier en daar iets dikkers/diepers, en bietjie nie-fiksie.  En weereens verskeie vergeet.

My bestes in pienk:

Afrikaans Fiksie

1. Die verhaal van Johanna Brandt - Bep du Toit
2. Wildvreemd - Carina Stander
3. Geur van vergifnis - Alta Cloete
4. Geur van vervulling- Alta Cloete
5. Daar was 10 - Heinz Konsalik
6. Een aand in Amsterdam - Ela Spence
7. Eendag vir altyd - Marie-Louise Cronje
8. Ons wag op die kaptein- Elsa Joubert
9. Die Vrystaat is verniet - Helene de Kock
10. Go'el Yisra'el - Marzanne le Roux-van der Boon
11. Sabina's - Nadia de Kock
12. Grensoorlogstories - Jeanette Ferreira
13. Waar sy hoort - Marlie Cloete
14. Klein land van die liefde - Margaret Bakkes
15. Kondensmelk - Christien Neser
16. Koshuiskoffie - Christien Neser
17. Groen is die kleur van genade - Marlene le Roux
18. Fado vir 'n vreemdeling - Margaret Bakkes
19. Lentelied - Dirna Ackerman (2in1)
20. 'n Nuwe Dag - Dorothy Fourie
21. Haaitemmer - Wilreza Theron
22. Uitgeboul deur liefde - Mari Roberts
23. Satynprinses - Rykie Roux
24. Soeter as heuning - Bets Smith
25. Waar liefde le - Elsa Winckler
26. Die soen - Bets Smith
27. Niemand soos jy nie - Magdaleen Walters
28. 'n Ster vir Stella - Malene Breytenbach
29. Eendagmooi - Kristel Loots
30. 'n Klein lewe - Wilna Adriaanse
31. Die Wildedruif val - P H Nortjé
32. Mense van my asem - Steve Hofmeyr
33. Die Skrywer - Esta Steyn
34. Niggie - Ingrid Winterbach
35. Om Kobus te ken - Madelie Human
36. Boheem - Chanette Paul
37. Rots van liefde - Chanette Paul
38. Vlerke van Goud - Chanette Paul
39. Ons is nie almal so nie - Jeanne Goossen
40. Jy's die een - Madelie Human
41. Om Ben lief te hê - Madelie Human
42. Alles of niks - Madelie Human
43. Mieke rock uit - Jana du Plessis
44. Seisoen van Genade - Alta Cloete
45. 'n Huis vir Nadia - Dalene Matthee
46. Want daar's skoenlappers - Elsa Winckler
47. Die kinders van Sengeti - Elmar Steyn
48. Voltooide Sirkel - Madelie Human
49. Haar grootste geskenk - Marile Cloete
50. Blou sjokolade - Christien Neser
51. Eenoogkoning - Malene Breytenbach
52. Aand die windkant - Annemi Coetser
53. Jo & Sue - Chanette Paul
54. Nan & Jeannie - Chanette Paul
55. Lam in Wolfsklere - Bernette Bergenthuin
56. Verskietende ster - Anna Penzhorn
57. Wilde Lote - Jaybee Roux
58. Philida - Andre Brink

Engels Fiksie

1. Pillars of the earth - Ken Follett
2. Lie down with Lions - Ken Follett
3. Lone Wolf - Jodi Picoult
4. Loving - Karen Kingsbury
5. One Life. 6 Words. What's yours? - Smith Magazine
6. Dynamite doctor or Christmas Dad? - Marion Lennox
7. The Lucky One - Nicholas Sparks
8. A rural affair - Catherine Elliott
9. A Mango-shaped space - Wendy Mass
10. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
11. Once in a lifetime - Cathy Kelly
12. The Patchwork Marriage - Jane Green
13. Baking Cakes in Kigali - Gaile Parkin
14. Jewels of the Sun - Nora Roberts
15. Spud-Exit, Pursued by a bear - John van de Ruit
16. Bed of Roses - Nora Roberts
17. Coming Home - Karen Kingsbury
18. The Top Prisoner in C-Max - Wessel Ebersohn
19. The best of me - Nicholas Sparks
20. Savour the moment - Nora Roberts
21. Happy ever after - Nora Roberts
22. Vision in white- Nora Roberts
23. The redemption of Sarah Cain - Beverly Lewis
24. The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver

Nie-fiksie

1. The book of regrets...thoughts, memories and revelations from a celebrated cast -Juliet Solomon
2. Eugene Terre'Blanche - my storie - Amos van der Merwe.
3. Troepie - van blougat tot bosoupa - Cameron Blake
4. Die Anglo-Boereoorlog - Fransjohan Pretorius
5. Wednesday is indigo-blue - Cytowic & Eagleman
6. Armblankes - Edward-John Bottomley
7. Taal is zecht maar echt mijn ding - Paulien Cornelisse

Hierdie het dit nie gemaak nie...

1. The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho (was eintlik nog op die ongeleesde lys van laas jaar, maar ek het dit weggegee. Ek het net nooit lus gekry om te begin nie)
2. John - Niall Williams
3. Die poorte van Sion - Bodie Thoene
4. Look at me - Jennifer Egan
5. The idea of love - Louise Dean

Hierdie wil ek (nog) lees (en baaaaie is oorgedra van 2011...)!
(Oeps.  Uhm, dit lyk amper identies soos laasjaar...)

1. Suid-Afrika 'n Toekomsperspektief
2. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
3. How to study the Bible - John MacArthur
4. Coconut - Kopano Matlwa
5. A Journal for Jordan - Dana Canedy
6. The 5 Love Languages - Gary Chapman
7. How things are made - Rose & Schlager
8. Black Diamond - Zakes Mda
9. Mahala - Chris Barnard
10. The man who loved the Zulus - J F Scutt
11. Fascinating Womanhood - Helen Andelin
12. Knowledge in the blood - Jonathan Jansen (amper klaar!)
13. Star of the morning - Pamela Jooste

89 in totaal, as ek nou so vinnig kyk. 

Mmm, en baie was dun en vinnig.  Iets waaraan ek sal werk dié jaar. 

Maar dit was steeds lekker!

Oor die bestes:

Wildvreemd (Carina Stander) - Nie geskryf in die tipiese styl waarvan ek hou nie, maar hier kon ek aanhou.  Ek ken die omgewing, en alles word so mooi beskryf dat jy dit voor jou sien gebeur.  'n Interessante, boeiende verhaal.

Ons wag op die kaptein (Elsa Joubert) - Bietjie van 'n skande dat ek nou eers daarby uitkom?  Ook nie my gewone leesstof, en ek moes maar aanpraat om deur te sit, maar die slot, o, wat kon toe daar gebeur?  So baie om oor te dink.

'n Klein lewe (Wilna Adriaanse) - Wat 'n verrassende wending deur hierdie skrywer!  Dis 'n andante - boek, heeltemal anders as haar ander fiksie.  Weereens, omdat ek die omgewing ken, kon ek dit goed visualiseer. So 'n goeie verwoording van hoe 'n vrou die veranderende Suid-Afrika beleef het.   

Seisoen van Genade (Alta Cloete) - Ek het aanvanklik gesukkel met Alta se drie "Geur"-boeke, tot ek besef het die boeke is elk in die toonaard/persoonlikheid van die hoofkarakter geskryf.  Die  "Seisoen"-reeks wat met Genade begin is vir my 'n verdieping van die vorige. Misleidend, met die mooie voorblad, kan dit maklik aangesien word vir net nog 'n liefdesverhaal, maar daar word regtig hartsdinge aangespreek in hierdie boek.  Ek wag vir die volgende een.

Philida (Andre Brink) - Philida sal waarskynlik  op elke tweede Afrikaanse leser se lysie beland.  Ek sukkel met André Brink. " 'n Droë wit seisoen" is een van my top 10-boeke, maar die res kon my nog nie werklik roer nie.  Philida is weer 'n lekker-lees, omstrede nagevors met die beurs wat baie meen iemand anders moes kry. Ek sê "lekker-lees", want die gaan vinnig, maar dis eintlik 'n hartseer verhaal, uit die slawetyd van die ou Kaap.  O jete, die (Suid)-Afrikaner het baie om voor rekenskap te gee. Hierdie boek gee 'n beeld van hoe dinge daardie tyd gewerk het, wat jy eintlik nie wil sien nie, maar moet weet.

Die Folletts - "Pillars" het ek op aanbeveling van 'n lees-vriendin gelees; sy was reg, dis 'n grootse boek.  "Lions" was weer heeltemal anders, maar vir my net so interessant.  Ek sal weer 'n Follett in die oë kyk dié jaar, "Pillars" se opvolg lê reeds in die rak.

Lone Wolf (Jodi Picoult) - Ah, ek lief Jodi, daar is seker maar twee van haar boeke wat ek nie geniet het nie.  Sy klits jou altyd om op die tweedelaaste bladsy, en hier weer. 

A Mango-shaped space (Wendy Mass) - Uiteindelik kry ek hierdie boek in die hande, 'n standaardboek vir almal met sinestesia.  Dit kan ook gesien word as 'n jeugverhaal, maar vertel so mooi hoe sinestesia werk, uit die oogpunt van die jong meisie.  Die titel 'n lieflike metafoor :-)

Baking Cakes in Kigali (Gaile Parkin) - Hoekom het ek dit nou eers gelees?? 'n Lieflike boek, dit gaan lig, maar nie lighartig nie, oor soveel seer, en gee ook 'n prentjie van die mooi wat daar wel bestaan in 'n verskriklike land. 

The Top Prisoner in C-Max (Wessel Ebersohn) - Spanning is nie eintlik my genre nie, so hierdie was weer 'n buig van die grense, maar ek is bly ek het Ebersohn ontdek.  Ek kon nie vinnig genoeg omblaai nie!

The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver) - Ek kan niks meer sê wat nog nie oor hierdie boek gesê is nie.  'n Moet-lees vir elke westerling wat in Afrika woon, wil gaan woon, wil gaan werk, wil gaan mense "red".

Eugene Terre'Blanche - my storie (Amos van der Merwe) - Hierdie is iets wat jy met moeite begin lees, want ET was so 'n omstrede figuur.  Amos hanteer sy storie egter so goed en ten spyte van enige aversie wat jy mag voel vir die man en sy idees, is daar ook simpatie, want op die ou end was hy 'n eensame, ontnugterde man, met romatiese ideale wat hy nie kon realiseer nie. 

Taal is zecht maar echt mijn ding ( Paulien Cornelisse) - Pas ontdek op vakansie; 'n humoristiese kyk na Nederlandse taalgebruik en uitdrukkings.  Ek het by tye kliphard gelag  (dit vat baie om meer as 'n glimlag by my te kry) en het summier die opvolg hiervan gekoop voor ek uit Nederland is.

O, maar ek het byna almal geniet.  Chanette Paul se twee boeke oor die Calitze, Madelie Human en Elsa Winckler se romanses, die nuwer stemme van Bernette Bergenthuin en Jana du Plessis...daar's niks te kla oor Afrikaanse boeke nie!

My stapels staan reg vir 2013 - als wat oorgedra word al reeds uit 2011, 'n hoop nuwes wat deur 2012 aangekoop is, histeriese aankope nou op vakansie en lekker geskenke en leenboeke van my sisi. 

Holiday hooking

I didn't plan to even look at a computer while on holiday, didn't think to roam on my phone or use it for it for  anything other than taking photos...but after four lovely days of blue skies, some cloud and light snow, lots of playing, skiing, falling, snowballing, the mountains of Tirol are hidden behind...white. 

It is all white outside!

We were woken by the first snow plough at 06h00, clearing the street and pathways.
The frozen pond in the backyard has disappeared beneath a thick white blanket, the bare trees are decorated in white and slowly and steadily, thick white snowflakes are drifting downwards.

Imagine the excitement for us - sun babies from South Africa!

Even staying inside, watching the snow, is an adventure.

Maybe we'll venture outside a little later.

Crunching snow beneath my boots for the first time

In the meantime, there's a book to read, chocolates to be eaten...

"Philida" - a slavery novel, the latest by South African writer Andre Brink. A great read.

And some hooking to be done :-)

Bringing colour to the snow

I bought this absolute cheapest of cheap 100 % wool in a 500 g mixed bag of leftovers. The colours looked good together and immediately shouted "stripey bag". It is too coarse to do anything but a bag or placemats, so bag it would be.
I started with a pattern for a small, square bag, but made the bottom larger and will be widening it slightly as I go up - as long as the yarn lasts!

As for straps - that question remains to be answered and I'm open to any ideas.

There's a glimpse of sun coming through the white now! Might be getting out and about then :-)

Waka's Great Road Trip

Imagine flying for the first time in your life.

Imagine flying to a place you have only ever heard of, 1600 km away, at the sea (which you also only ever heard of).

Imagine getting your very first car, driving further than 5 km for the first time, driving back home that 1600 km through countryside you have never seen, alone, with your new car.

:-)

That is what our Waka did, these last two days.

Waka has been working with us since 1998, when he lost his job at the geological consulting company where my husband just starting working.  He got his nickname because he addressed everyone as "wa ka" (= mine), refusing to call anyone  "boss". He is  (formally) unskilled, having attended school only up to Gr 4. He also has limited use of some of the fingers on his right hand - his wife was accused of being a witch and he defended her against an attack with a panga (machete).  The ligaments at the base of his fingers were severed and never treated. However, he has the savvy and street-smartness of ten people, speak/understand quite  few of the indigenous languages, and knows the Limpopo Province like the palm of his hand.

So he started working with me, acting as my guide.

One of our first site visits - Mamvuka village, rural Limpopo

At a community garden project, Gogogo village, Venda
(Waka in white shirt)

Breakfast with gogo (grandma)
Gogo was busy weaving a mat of strips ofplastic bag

For five years we criss-crossed rural Limpopo, from larger towns to tiny villages that doesn't even appear on maps other that topographical sheets, from large egineering projects to places where the children ran away from me because they have never seen a white woman before.  He guided me through villages known for harbouring Gauteng criminals, through the 'double-up' of the 'double-up' (shortcut of the shortcut).  We saw some of the most spectacular scenery in this country, ate mangoes from an old mama's backyard in Venda, dug ourselves out of deep sand in Lebowa.

I trusted him with my life, he was invaluable to my work.

Then we moved back to Pretoria, had sporadic contact, we moved to Australia, and upon our return we found him working at a large wholesale nursery group. He lived in a hostel with other men, had to wash at a tap outside, fixed his meals on a primus camping stove and earned a pittance.  He couldn't support his wife and three kids.

So  he came to live with  us and started to work as our gardener, "general manager", child minder if I have to dash to  get milk, head of security, handyman, parking attendant (that was to help him get his driver's licence) and anything else.  We fixed the outbuildings as a tiny flat for him, he earned much more that at the nursery, and could go home more often. He was cheated out of his allocated RDP-house, so we helped him get another and build his own house, independent from government assistance, which now has three rooms. He named his twins after us, Fani and Crystal.

Building a platform in the tree-in-the-sandpit

This year my husband promised him his own bakkie (= pick-up truck, ute) if business went well, which it did.  We searched and searched, couldn't find a suitable one locally, but then a friend had one for sale in Cape Town. But now - how to get it to Pretoria?  Lo and behold, a new contract came through that required a meeting in Cape Town, and within hours plans were made.  He would fly down with Fanie, they'd get the bakkie, Fanie would guide him out of town and put him on the N1 national highway, direction north.  I started printing maps, highlighting the routes, towns/highway filling stations where he should stop, arranged accommodation halfway, and off they went!

He was slightly nervous, but excited about the flying.  They got seats right in front and he marveled about the cockpit, declaring it much more "difficult" than a car's.

Slightly nervous before boarding

He observed that they must be much nearer to Nkosi (God), as the ground and people were far below, and they were now flying above the cloud.

He though the pilots must be very clever and good drivers, to be able to descend through the cloud where you can't see a thing.

He is the very first member of his extended Madubanya family to ever take a plane trip.

Safely in Cape Town

There wasn't time to stop at the beach but he could see the size of the ocean.

The long road was a big challenge.  He's not used to long-distance driving himself.  But he's got enough savvy, and many people followed his progress on my Facebook page, and prayed.  He was to text me when he reached the larger towns, so I could make sure he stays on target, stays awake, and eats and drinks on time. 

The long road home - from Cape Town to Pretoria

He marvelled at the 'very big mountains'  of the Western Cape.  He suffered in the extreme summer heat, driving a 1300cc vehicle with no air-conditioning, negotiating the very busy oncoming holiday traffic.  Because of that, my husband also instructed him to drive way below the speed limit, and he  kept going at  90, 100 km/h. He easily found his targets, was aghast at the many accidents involving truck (driving past 4, witnessing a 5th, he called me to say at least nobody died in this one). He wasn't going to make  it  to Colesberg for the night, so I hastily arrange accommodation in Beaufort West (and couldn't be grateful enough to the very kind Anthony of Young's Budget Accommodation, who waited in front for Waks to arrive). He looked out from afar for the hill at Beaufort West ("it  is not big as the mountains behind, it look like Blouberg in Lebowa").

He was shattered!

The next morning we spoke with him early, as it was still a long way to go, and he had to get on the way.  It was much easier, less  heat, less traffic.  He called to say he went through a very big river, blig like the Limpopo (that was the Orange, boundary between the Northern Cape and Free State).   He took a long stop at Trompsburg, 'so the bakkie could rest'. Cold drink stops came at Bloemfontein and Ventersburg. He was almost home.  Two truck stops awaited  when he crossed into Gauteng, quicker now on the double-laned highway and we advised himto get enough Coke and  Bar One - the man was tired now!
  

And around seven, he arrived home.  Joyous affair!  He just sat back, threw his hands in the air and said "Waks! It is a very long road."  But he was all smiles.  He just about greeted everybody and stumbled to his room, where the lights remained for a long time still.   We could hear him chattering on the phone with the family, telling them all about the the adventure.  His head must have been spinning.

We'll chat about the whole trip again, later.  It was such a privilege and joy to follow him over this two-day journey! So many people enquired and send messages and prayers -  thank you to all.

This was an epic trip.

(He just took Fanie to McDonalds, to get breakfast :-)

Klaar! African Flowers vir Helena

Onthou die African Flower-kombers waaraan ons saamgewerk het vir my tannie Helena? Ek het hier daarvan vertel - my sisi het in Ierland African Flowers gehekel, ek en Helena hier in Suid-Afrika.  Soos wat ons gevorder het, is die blomme na Potchefstroom gepos en Helena het solank aanmekaargewerk...en toe was dit klaar!

Remember my aunt Helena's African Flower blanket CAL?  I posted about it here. My sis worked in Ireland, and Helena and I here in RSA.  As we completed batches of flowers, it was mailed to her in Potchefstroom, where she started joining the lot...and then it was finished!

Dis nou groot genoeg om bo-op haar dubbelbed te pas, en sy sal nog aanhou om dit groter te maak.  

Ek love dit.  Presies wat ek wou gehad het dit moet wees - 'n kombersie wat baie trane toemaak en nuwe goeie memories skep.  

It is now big enough to cover the top of her double bed, and she'll continue to hook more flowers for it.

I love it.  It came out exactly like I hoped it would - a blanket to cover lots of tears and create new happy memories.

Looking lovely on my queen-sized bed!



A Christmas Star

Last year I hooked smallish stars to hang outside on the tree, and used the cheapest acrylic available in the country - R4 /50g

This year, I'm getting all grown up and and will be using Vinnis Nikkim - big difference!

First Christmas stars

The pattern is the Jelly Christmas Star, very easy to hook.  There are also a few new ones floating around on Pinterest, and I will at least try this one as well.

How do you crochet the most beautiful landscape in the world?

I like to think that most everybody has a heimat; that place they think of as 'home', or where they come from, that has that special corner in their heart, even thought they might not return that often.

My heartland is the Klein Karoo (Little Karoo).  It is tucked into the south western corner of South Africa, set between two mountain ranges, the Klein Swartberg (Little Black Mountain) and Groot Swartberg (Great Blank Mountain) (and we use the Afrikaans even in English context). It basically consist of 5 towns, from Montagu in the west, bordering the Breede River Valley, through Barrydale, Ladismith, Calitzdorp and Oudtshoorn in the east, bordering the Outeniqua and Langkloof.

Klein Karoo, South Africa
(map http://www.karoospace.co.za/trading-post/the-classic-karoo-map)

I haven''t lived there for 30 years now, having spent only 3 years as a young girl.  But that was a definitive three years - attending the same primary school my mom did (two of her teachers were still there!), being able to run to Grandma's house after school at least once a week, living on a deciduous fruit farm, playing in the river, climbing the koppie with my cousin, running through a freshly ploughed field "to  harden my feet".

After leaving, we would return every year to spend either Christmas or the winter holiday with the  family and still I return, every time we visit the in-laws or our little beach house, to visit my granny in Ladismith.  And every time, once I go up Robinson's Pass, my heart squeeze at the beauty of the veld, the grey-greens of the fynbos, the dark pinks of the protea, the burnt orange of the aloes in winter. And this year, for the first time in many years,  I went in spring:

Klein Karoo spring colours, near Calitzdorp

The Klein Karoo in spring is a sight to behold! It doesn't have the short-lived flowery abundance of Namaqualand, rather a more subtle colour fest, but once you look closer, there's a beauty that takes you breath away.  I took the above photo late one afternoon, near seven o'clock, on a ostrich farm with a view towards the Klein Swartberg. I sat and sat on the grass, my boys were playing in the dam-like swimming pool, and I just drank in the beauty (with my tiny glas of port ;-).



Late afternoon chillin'

For a long time I've wanted to hook something in the colours of the Klein Karoo, and with that picture in mind, an unplanned visit to the LYS in Mossel Bay turned into a tiny splurge on Vinni's Cotton...





The greens and greys of the fynbos and Karoo shrubs

There are too many varations of green and grey to describe, and here and there a splash of bright green will surprise you.  Luckily Vinnis fares good with their subtle greens!



Klein Karoo wild flowers

I stood in the yarn shop trying to match yarns to the tiny photos on my phone

• the blues of the Karoo viooltjie (Aptosimum indivisum)
• the white of the oumakappie (still trying to indeitfy this one - the regional common name isn't as common!)
• the salmon-pink of klapperbos (Nymania capensis)
• the bright cerise of the pronkvygie (Cerochiamus pachyphylla) and spekboom (Portulacaria afra)
• the yellow of granaatbos (Rhigozum obovatum)...

 And what would I hook?

I found the answer in a second-hand store in Calitzdorp: a milk-stool type side table, of which my parents had the exact same waaaaay back when:

The milk stool (under the green doilie)

I will sand it down and paint it vaguely white.  For now, it's living with a green doilie in the corner at the little beach house.

Time ran out and I was travelling by plane, so I took the measurements, and throughout the last day visiting the in-laws, kept myself busy with Alice's Granny Mandala pattern and my bagful of Vinni's.  Luckily, MIL  had a similar side table with almost similar measurements, so I could get an idea of what it would look like:

Klein Karoo milk stool cover on MIL's side table

Yes, it would work, but I still needed a bit of white for my favourite oumakappie flowers, so I added a row or two.  Back home, the only way to get an idea, was to drape the stool cover over a cake tin, where it will stay until January, when we hope to go down to Hartenbos again!  Might be a tad too long now, but at least I have all the colours I wanted.

Milk stool cover posing as cake tin cover

Can't wait to go back.  The veld will be waiting, and September it will look like this again:

Vygie veld, Rietfontein Ostrich Farm

And Towerkop will still be standing tall



Stashbusting

Yes. 

Getting rid of all these little balls of yarn that you keep, long after the project's completed, because it's just such a waste to through it away.

So here's what I'm doing - and this will be a looooong term project:

1. Hook 1 granny stripe blanket

I've long since wanted to do one, but had no specific room, place, recipient in mind, so this will become a car/picnic blanket.  One stripe per colour, with white/cream in between just to calm the colours down.  

As and when I have yarn left over.

As and when I have time and want to work on it.

Beginnings of the Granny Stripe

2. Hook 1 Linen Stitch blanket

Blatantly copying Kristen from Cozy Things, because she's my absolute blanket guru.
Kristen hooked this blanket, and I was in love.  She said afterwards that it came out a bit stiff and could probably do with a larger hook, which I also realised while doing the green stripe.  So that  one will be frogged en re-hooked with a nr 5.  

This stitch (just 1 singe 1 ch) makes for a lovely texture to the blanket and asks for broader stripes.

As and when I have yarn left over.

As and when I have time and want to work on it.

And it might also become a car/picnic blanket!

Linen Stitch Blanket

So these are my stash busters.
(Acrylic stash, that is...will make another plan with the tiny remains of my Vinnis!)

Long Term Stash Busting Project!

Klaar! 'n Kombersie vir Baba K .

Ek wou al lankal die Squaring the Big Circle -patroon van Signed with an Owl maak!

Gelukkig was daar 'n babaseuntjie op pad.

For the longest time I wanted to hook the Squaring the Big Circle pattern of Signed with an Owl.

Happily, a baby boy was on his way.

One finished blanket.

Ek het in die aand gehekel (partykeer), baie in die kar terwyl ek wag voor die skool, of as passasier op pad iewers.  En in die tuin terwyl die kinders speel en ons braai op Erfenisdag - hekel is mos ook ons erfenis ;-)

I hooked in the evenings (sometimes), often in the car, waiting at school, or as passenger en route somewhere. And in the garden while the kids are playing and we're having a braai on Heritage Day - crochet is part of our heritage!

Hooking on a hot day is better with a nice ginger beer!

Die randjie was eenvoudig, omdat die kombers so bont is: net nog 'n ry granny trebles, en daarna 'n ry half-trebles (donkerblou).  In retrospek sal ek eerder dubbelrye van elke kleur gebruik het, en die 'squaring' ook in die ligte denimblou.

The edge was kept simple, as the blanket was so colourful: just another row of granny trebles, followed by a row of hlf-trebles (dark blue).  In retrospect, I should have used doubles rows of each colour, and should have done the squaring in the light denim-blue as well. 

At the edge.

Een van my mooiste blokke, het gehou van hierdie kleurkombinasie.  Die fokus is effe vrot en versag met Soft Focus - ek het hoog bo-op die bed gestaan en balanseer!

One of my favourite squares - I like this colour combination. The focus is more than poor - I was wobbling high on the bed while taking photos!

This square had my favourite colour sequence.

Tevrede.  Ek sal weer hierdie patroon doen. Hoop Baba K en sy ma hou ook daarvan!

I'm happy and would hook this pattern again.  Hope Baby K and his mom like it as well!

Done!

Ek het verskeie kleure van Vinnis Nikkim (katoen) en Bambi (organiese bamboes) gebruik. Dit word met die hand gekleur en gee dan die mooi verouderde effek.

I used various colours of Vinnis Nikkim (cotton) and Bambi (organic bamboo).  It is hand-dyed, resulting in the ageing effect. 

And ready to go.

Hierdie kombers is gedoen as deel van die One-a-Day CAL

The blanket was hooked as part of the One-a-Day CAL

PS

Onthou die lang, lang geveg met die Reënboog Ripple?  Hy is nou tuis in die Hartenbos Huisie, tesame met die blokkieskombers wat ek en my sisi saamgehekel het April.

Remember the long, long struggle with the Rainbow Ripple?  It  is at home now in The Little Beach House, together with the mini-squares blanket that my sis and I completed during the April holidays.

Klaar! Nog blomserpe en 'n beanie

O wee, so hardloop die tyd en die een na die ander blomserpie word gemaak. 

Ek was bang hierdie lyk soos gebakte eier, maar die daisy het mooi deurgekom.  vriendin Elaine was mal daaroor, en toe kry sy dit present. 

Oh my world, time flies and I keep on hooking my flowery scarves.

I was afraid hat this might turn out like fried egg, but it did end up looking like a daisy.  My friend Elaine loved it when she saw me working on it, so she got it as a present. 

Daisie-serp vir Elaine

Em omdat dit so lekker en vinnig werk, en omdat ek die regte kleure Vinnis Serina (bamboes) en Nikkim (katoen) hier gehad het, en ek weet dis vriendin Julia se kleure, kry sy toe 'n pienkperse.

And because it hooks up so quickly  and I had the right colours in Vinnis Serina (bamboo) and Nikkim (cotton), and I knew my friend Julia loves these colours, she got this one:

Pienk en Pers vir Julia

En hierdie is was vir mnr M, bg Julia se eggenoot, wat my uitdaag vir 'n beanie met "wings and a ♥"

Na die 3e patroon het ek iets gekry wat lyk soos vlermuisvlerke...maar ek het hom aanbeveel om dit dalk nie in die openbaar te dra nie!

This one was for mr M, Julia's better half, who dared me for a beanie "with wings and a ♥".
The third pattern I tried vaguely resembled bat wings...but I recommended that he maybe he shouldn't wear this in public!  Was great fun, though.

Beanie with wings and a ♥ for Julia's man

The flowery scarf pattern can be found at The Yvestown Shop
A friend gave me instructions for the heart over coffee - I wouldn't be able to repeat it even if I tried!

National Heritage Day...or, Let's Braai!

Today is 24 September, National Heritage Day in South Africa, a newish public holiday declared to celebrate our national heritage.

Which might be like trying to find the chameleon on the Smartie Box, as not only do we have 11 official languages, we have more than that number of different cultural groups in this country.  So that's not including the Khoi, San, Indian, Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, German, Greek, Jewish and how many other large communities.  Plus the 'coloured' community that is e.g. not perceived Afrikaans by some, or some of themselves, but ís by other.  And the fact that Afrikaans and English (white) South Africans sometimes differ more than the (white) Afrikaans and (non-white) Zulu South African.

(Now, to humor yourself, and get an idea of our South African sense of  humour, get your hands on The Racist's Guide to the People of South Africa by Simon Kilpatrick.  It is not what it sounds like, and is an hilariously funny GENERALISED look at the people in my part of the world.  We do laugh at ourselves :-)

So, my heritage - what would that be?  Given the grandparents' surnames, I'd be 50% Dutch (with some Scottish way back), 25% German, 25% French Huguenot. Throw in some mixes and matches along the almost 3 centuries some of them had been here, and I'm a toroughbred mix. My husband has more German, I think 50% there, and some English and quite recent Scottish as well.   

And little remain of these original cultures.

So what do all of us have in common here?

We like to throw a piece of meat over the coals.  We BRAAI.

Braaiing away!

("Barbie" is Australian over a gas fire.  "Barbeque" is a hamburger pattie or pale pork sausage up north) 

We  like to make a fire with wood or charcoal, and let it sizzle.

And so enters clever "Jan Braai" (in real life Jan Scannell) who decided that we, the people, need something like the Irish Paddy Day, the Dutch Queens Day, US Thanksgiving, Australia Day - something that is truly OURS...and he declares National Heritage also "Braai Day".  That is the one day that most South Africans can do the one thing that most of us truly embraces and have in common: to have a braai.  Luckily for him, the Arch immediately embraces the idea, giving it more clout, and it has been growing ever since.  

Emiritus Archbishop Tutu and Jan Braai
(image from www.braai.com)

So today, we'll have a braai.  Some lamb chops marinated with balsamic vinegar and rosemary, venison sausage maybe, a nice garlic-and-cheesy loaf, or tomato-cheese-onion-apricot jam sandwhiches, or maybe some putu pap with sheba.  There will be some form of salad to make up for vitamins, a beer and/or rosé to wash it all down with, and we'll end with a great coffee and maybe melktert.  (Ooh, now that is something to behold...we got it from the Dutch, spiced up by the Malay, similar to Portuguese custard tart and also French custard tart - we just add cinnamon.  I've made it with star aniseed, cardemom, lavender, rooibos...njam!)

Melktert - I could eat one by myself

Have a look at Jan Braai's Facebook Page and a listen to this great South African song, while we light the fires!

One-A-Day...Almost a baby blanket

Almost there.  

The last corner squares are halfway done, one other to FROG and redo

Then a simple edge - one granny row in the light blue, followed by 1r trebles, 1r htr, and the 1r htr in the navy?

Will see.

One 80% completed baby blanket

The baby is already six days old.

If you would like to participate in One-a-Day, please link your project in the Tuesday's Tallies at Carole's blog, Gingerbread Girl.

Gauteng Thunder

You know it's spring in Gauteng when darker clouds start to gather during the afternoon and the sky gets a greyish-yellowish tint:

Top - towards the west where the mines are where my man is doing water management (and therefor worried about the pits)
Bottom - Towards the southwest where he was sitting in horrible traffic on the N1!

An even darker cloud, looking like something from  "Independance Day (remember!) moved over. This was at 15h29, and look how dark it got:

The difference 10 minutes makes

And the heavens opened, in buckets.

Streaming down the driveway

Realised we'll need to think about drainage here...

The boys were excited about the hail on the trampoline!

"Look mom, a hail-ball"

Some sad-looking hail-battered flowers

And then the skies were blue again.

You would think we live in Ireland, with all these umbrellas.