To crochet with T-string

The last couple of months, a new craze exploded on Ons Hekel.  And who do we have to blame?
Creative, productive OH-member Anneke Wiese, who also happens to live in one of the prettiest places on earth.

So what did she do?

Most  of you would have seen this beautiful doily rug:


Die afgelope paar maande het 'n nuwe gier ontplof op Ons Hekel.  En wie kan ons bedank?
Boland  Kreatiewe, produktiewe OH-lid Anneke Wiese, wat ook op een van die mooiste plekke in die wêreld woon.

So wat het sy begin?

Meeste van jul sou hierdie supermooi doilie-mat al gesien het:

You want to make it, don't you?
www.creativejewishmom.com)

Anneke did too. So she made it, and was featured on Creative Jewish Mom with her beautiful red doily.

And then she started showing us on Ons Hekel what she was doing...

Anneke het ook.  Toe maak sy een, 'n helderrooie, en maak so haar buiging op Creative Jewish Mum se blog.

En toe begin sy ons op Ons Hekel wys...

A green doily rug, from T-String and other stash

A pastel beauty of granny squares

A blue doily, with slab of chocolate for scale :-)

Look, look at the view it has through the door.

She takes her work to to the beach!

Ah...crocheting on the beach, I love that :-)

And even on holiday!  Yeah, the above is where she STAYS.  So what could possibly compete?

Hekel op die strand - hoe lekker is dit?

En selfs op vakansie! Tja, die pragtige plek hierbo is waar sy WOON.  So wat kan  daarmee kompeteer?

How about hooking a doily in Positano?

Hmpf.  Amalfi coast.  Sigh.

Hmpf.  Amalfi-kus.  Sug.

Okay, so I was hooked and quite a few hookers at Ons Hekel as well, and we started buying T-string like crazy.  

First, you have to get good quality T-string.  Zpagetti is great, but a bit scarce and expensive down here in South Africa.  Best option is some who cuts and rolls the fabric herself, to ensure even width and good quality fabric - luckily we have quite a few of those in the group!

Then - get your grip right.  The overhand grip (holding your hook like a knife) is much easier and for us who use that grip anyways - no problem.

A big enough hook.  My nr 10 didn't cut it.  Eventually I evolved to nr 15, although up to nr 20 and 25 were recommended.

So I found great colours at a craft show and happily started out.  No doilies for me, I wanted to try Something Else.

Okei, so is ek en 'n hele paar ander ook gehoek, en ons trek weg; koop T-String.

Maar, eerstens:  Jy moet goeie kwaliteit T-string gebruik.  Zpagetti is wonderlik, maar bietjie skaars en duur hier in Suid-Afrika.  Die beste opsie is om by iemand te koop wat dit self sny en rol - so kry jy vir seker goeie kwaliteit materiaal met eweredige stroke.  Gelukkig het ons klomp diesulkes in die groep!

Tweedens - kry jou greep reg.  Vir die van ons wat oorhands werk (hou die hekelpen soos 'n mes) is dit makliker.

Derdens - 'n groot genoeg pen.  My nr 10 kon nie sy man staan nie.  Uiteindelik het ek gevorder na 'n nr 15, hoewel nrs 20 en selfs 25 aanbeveel is. 

By die Centurion Craft Show het ek 'n handvol mooi kleure gekry en heel optimisties beginne.  Nie 'n doiliemat vir my nie, ék gaan Iets Anders doen.

On track and lookin' good

Oops.  The accent yellow became too much:

Oeps.  Die geel was...te veel. 

(This photo might be upside down :-)

Frogged. 

Version 2...Stilled liked the colours, but...suddenly realised that my melange, which was actually my key colour, was double the width of the rest.

Uitgetrek.

Poging 2...Kleure steeds reg, maar...skielik besef ek die melange, wat die basis moes wees, is twee maal breër as die res.

Better colour, but...Frogged.

And so I went on.  

Took the melange out.
Brought the melange back in.

Changed colour combos - then it look like a muted version of the nation flag.

Frogging frogging frogging

Then I visiting a friend who hosted a T-string workshop presented by the lovely Ronel of Nilla's Needlecraft and the lights went on...

Larger hook (the nr 15).

Different pattern.

And voilà!

En so gaat ek aan.

Haal die melange uit.

Bring dit terug.

Verander kleurkombinasies - maar toe lyk dit soos 'n gedempte weergawe van die landsvlag.

Trek uit trek uit trekuit

En toe hou Ronel van Nilla's Needlecraft 'n T-string werkswinkel en al die liggies gaan aan...

'n Groter pen (die nr 15).

'n Nuwe patroon.

En voilà! 

An African Flower pouffe! 

And so I conquered T-String.

I might not become a regular user, but the concept of baskets etc is enticing...

Thanks for introducing us to T-string, Anneke!

En so het ek T-string oorwin.

Ek gaan dit nie noodwendig gereeld doen nie, maar die idee van 'n mandjie of twee klink goed...

Dankie dat jy ons aan T-string bekendgestel het, Anneke!

The above photo of me and my pouffe was taken by Cornel at Craft Share - have a look at her very pretty blog I Love Pom-Poms and Craft Share Facebook page.

T-String available at many shops now, and also from Hilda at Yarn in a Barn, Ronel at Nilla's Needlecraft, Selma/Anthea at Fifty Something (tel 022-713 5559) (that's Anneke's LYS) and I'll find out where else.  

Die mooie foto hierbo is weereens geneem deur Cornel by Craft Share - besoek haar lieflike blog I Love Pom-Poms and Craft Share Faceboek-blad.

T-string is nou by verskeie winkels beskikbaar, en ook van Hilda by Yarn in a Barn, Ronel by Nilla's Needlecraft, Selma/Anthea by Fifty Something (tel 022-713 5559) (dis Anneke' se LYS) en ek sal uitvind waar nog.

Crochet a rhino

Heidi Bears (she of the brilliant African Flower Tutorial fame) has come up with a beautiful rhino design, in African Flowers.

Image: http://heidibearscreative.blogspot.com

Find the pattern on Ravely and help in the fight to keep our rhinos safe - $1 of each and every sale goes toward the Kariega Foundation.

You might not know that the plight of rhinos in South Africa is bleak, to say the least.  They are slaughtered on an almost daily basis for their horns; 688 up to 22 September this year.  

The horns are dried and ground  and used as "aphrodisiac" or "medicinal reasons", particularly in Vietnam.  Our government has been in talk with the Vietnamese government about this, but in the meantime poaching and butchering continues.

This one month-old calf was found screaming next to the body of her mother, after she was hacked to death for her horn. Easter weekend 2012, Alma, Limpopo.
Image: www.beeld.com

Poachers are brutal, they are armed with AK 47's  and highly organised.  They don't care who and what they kill in the process, have no respect for game reserves, with the majority of those poached in Kruger National Park. 

Rhinos are magnificent, beautiful giants.  They don't deserve this, and will be extinct sooner than we think, if poaching should continue. 

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 Meadow of African Flowers

I wrote about the African Flower blanket that we are doing, my sis and I, together with our aunty Helena. It's not finished yet, but I thought I'd show you, because it's going to be so beautiful that I just can't wait any more :-) 

When I first started to surf through blogland, I saw this one African Flower blanket, against a light green background.  Usually it's black, or randomly colourful, and although that is also nice, the light green was Just So Beautiful. Of course I couldn't find the image again (will have to SIT with Google images one day), but it sat in the back of my mind, and then I got the idea that my aunty should get one. 

African Flowers on Green.

So after much flowering happening in Ireland...and Potchefstroom,,,and Pretoria...

...there are finally enough flowers to make up a blanket.

Helena brought the whole stash along on a visit, and we proceeded to pack it all out.

Couldn't decided on a favourite - these are some:

Wowieee...I love the cornflower blue one with the red center, or the red one with purple...but also the light blue ones with yellow centres, 'cos they look like real African Violets.

I made one or two "rules":

1. Hook with a 4.5 and DK yarn.

2. The inside part of the flower could be made with any colour.

3. The round of singles, with the spikes, had to be in any green (some look  bit yellow, some a bit blue).

4.  And then the last round, of doubles, had to be in elle "Rustica", a lovely forest green - that also differs between batches, but that's fine.   

(This is an African Violet,  by the way, also known as Saintpaulia. I don't think there's a house in South Afica without one, although I seem unable to keep them alive):

Also available in crochet:

This image is from the Planet June Craft Blog; have a look, and the pattern is available in her shop - look those apples and cacti!  I'm not allowed to, must first finish a few other things.   

But back to the blanket...we packed it out on the kitchen table, moved flowers around, looking at combinations...man, it is going to be so pretty!  Can't wait to see it finished an on her bed. 

She's busy putting it together now- received this image thourgh WhatsApp this morning:

I'm not going to say again how pretty I think this is going to be ;-)

3KCBWDAY6- Improving My Skillset

One year ago, I took up my mom's old 4.5 mm crochet hook, some DK I had in the house, and proceeded to learn how to crochet.

Three days later , I gained muscle control over my fingers and the crochet hook.

At one stage I sat with The Happy Hooker on my lap, You Tube open in front of me, and my sister on the line from Ireland, to try and figure out how to make a DC.

Since then, I proceeded to successfully make one square.

Hot on its heels followed various simple cowls, a baby blanket, a vintage stripe blanket -gone-wrong-gone-wrap, two mug warmers, some coasters (actually testers),  two cushions for our beach house, a giant granny for my boy, flowers to mark my new suitcase, part of my aunty's to-be African Flower blanket, a Rainbow Ripple, another baby ripple still to be revealed here, some simple Christmas decorations, two winter scarves for my sisi, a flower scarf for me, some potholders, two amigurumi, a vintage brooch, a cushion for my cousin, a cushion and hearty garland for a Curly Girl, and a monster pouch for my iPhone. And a beanie. And a superlovely MyPicot scarve for me.

On holiday in Swakopmund, Namibia, April 2011, trying to figure out this DC thing

I learnt about British and American crochet language. Now, just for fun, throw Afrikaans into the mix - the terms are totally unrelated to the English counterparts. And for more fun, try Dutch, 'cause that where Afrikaans comes from, and no one can blame you if you want to throw your hands into the air and run away.

I learnt that crochet has a back and front :-D

I started blogging about my adventure, and in the process learnt so much from great ladies around the world, who are generous with their patterns and advice, not to mention inspiration.

And with online friend and fellow South African-based-in-London, Natasja King,  I started a crochet group on Facebook, that is now 1120 members strong.  What a joy that is!  At "Ons Hekel" I have seen the most beautiful ideas, met up fellow hookers and learn more every day.

So, in the next year, I Will:

1. learn to hook from a diagram
2. complete a Japanese flower scarve adapting from an existing doilie type pattern
3. learn to hook from a diagram
4. go beyond simple amigurumi
5. learn to hook from a diagram.
6. continue meeting new hookers at Ons Hekel and meet up with them where possible.

Did I mention I want to learn to hook from a diagram?

Then I'll order One Japanese Book for myself, as reward :-)

One-A-Day, or...A Production Line

...of African Fower centres: 29

(I got the mini-skeins of tapestry wool (new wool) for almost nothing, plus another bag for free - might have been in the shop for too long!)

The Sea-colours Ripple has grown to 17 double rows:

The GRB didn't really grow...but there's hope for this week.

How did you do?

One-A-Day (6)



"I don't know why they call this frogging", I moaned to my husband, as grrrrrr grrrrrr grrrrrr went the 32 rows (ROWS!) of my Ripple. 

"Grrrrrrr grrrrrr grrrrr" went my Little Man, just like a frog.  I got it. 

Yes.  I frogged ALL of my Ripple. *

From this:

Tried to save the first two rows, so I wouldn't have to go through The Foundation Chain of Hell again...so I promptly made a mistake and had to restart. From scratch. 

Not once.

Not twice.

FIVE times.  Five times I chained and rechained before I got it right, and can proudly now say that I've GOT it and The Ripple II is going along just fine. 

*Relief*

I am so far now:

(Blood-red, burnt orange, light peach.  Looks a bit funny here.)

I am just so happy that this time I GOT it, and I'm getting my valleys and hills in place and managing my last two stiches in the top chain etc. And I got to discard the olive green that was bothering me, plus the very pale dusty pink and two of the cheap superacrylics, so now I'm continuing just with Pure Gold.  Nice and soft.

SO I need to ask - how do you manage the foundation chain? I followed recommendations from both Lucy and The Happy Hooker - first hooked a bit loose, then tried using a bigger hook, and then, big revelation, hooked in the Back Loop of each stich, and it was just so much easier, and neater, and Easier.  Took me the whole of "Source Code" (watching the dvd with husband) to get through 199 stitches, and absolutely happy with it. (Loved the movie. Love Jake. He'll probably get a fit when hearing that somebody hooked through the movie :-).

Also got 30 African Flowers in the mail, off on their way to Potchefstroom :-) where they'll be waiting for more flowers from here, Cork and Potch:

Thank you for sitting through this rambling.  Thanks for the lovely comments on my previous post.  Hilly T, I did see you green edges as well, and its looking so nice and fresh.  This CAL is really worth it, doing some hooking every day, writing up a post, and then sharing in the progress. I love it.  Thanks for participating and sharing your ideas, feedback, support etc. 

(Have a look at other participants in One-A-Day at Gingerbread Girl's blog every Tuesday.)

*What was wrong...I  somehow missed the loast two stitched in the top if the chain and the end of the row, somewhere (hooked one day in the beginnig without my instructions).  Then couldn't get my peaks and valleys aligned, and the one edge of the work ended up looking ...rippled, while the other side was perfectly straight.  Couldn't fix it, it just got worse. Had to throw in the towel/blanket.

One-A-Day (5)

Yeay! I'm back on track. 

Still left The Ripple in its bag, under the bag, in its new storage basket (got some inspiration from Lucy up there in Attic 24 regarding matters housekeeping ;-), he he).

But, out came the African Flowers again and I edged them all (30!) with green. 

Now, doesn't that look pretty!  All the time I was complaining because my AF's didn't look like the photo's Ive seen...I should just have added the edge.  There you go now.

Hooking away outside on the lawns with the Bull Calf Boy while waiting for the Little Man to finish gymnastics.

...and while having cappuccino at my favourite spot...

(I really should start using my camera for these pics, and not the mobile...)

This is going to be the final edging that all of us are going to do, and will join them with the same.  I am so looking forward to this blanket, it is going to look so pretty!  But it will take some time to finish, as we are hooking in Pretoria, South Africa (me), Cork, Ireland (Sis), and Potchefstroom, South Africa (aunty). 

I also tried out something for a new project that will have to stand over for the new year.  Stil haven't got it quite right, will work on my plans, in the meantime these can become  coasters for The Litte Beach House.

And so, back to The Ripple.

Ed. later..the African Flower blanket is going to my aunty. Me, my sis and aunty are hooking it as a team, all with our own stash, with the green edging in the same yarn.  The blanket will be going to my aunt, who took a Very Brave Step, and is in need of some new happy memories, of which the blanket will be one of the first .

One-A-Day (3)

Hello there, good people!

All seems to be going well with my Ripple's valleys and peaks :-)  I am tweaking it a bit here and there, but seems like it's under control now.  I'm using mainly Elle Pure Gold yarn, with one or two others and some frustration is creeping in there...DK is not necessarily DK...I've had to frog a row or two already. But I'm actually very happy with my progress (mint green, lime green and light blue at the top are not Pure Gold).



The Ripple is at 15 rows now and I wil use 16 or so colours - one set almost done!  This one I alternated cool and warm colours, the next one I might do brigth and muted, and maybe a rainbow, so on.

Love this blankie!



Now that I've figure out the African Flower, it's going quickly.  I'm hooking the centres whenever I'm busy with the yellow, orange of red from the Ripple, and I try to do a handful at a time.  That goes into another bag (which is now becoming the 'travlling' bag, as the Ripple is getting to big to lug along) and from that bag and stash, I complete the flowers. Discarding the Elle Marco has made such a huge difference, my AF's actually look pretty now!  Spotted one or two mistakes now, but that be rectified quickly.

I'm enjoying both these patterns, and it's nice to see the quick progress. Might go a bit sower from here, as I promised to help knit/hook 10x10 cm squares for an old age home in Bloemfontein - I might even report on that as well.

But now, I first want to look at all your posts!



Later...to get the small "One a Day" pictures - I got it on Ravelry from Gingerbread Girl.  Then just "saved as" and uploaded here as photos.

One-A-Day (2)

Hello all the One-A-Day people!

This past week went a bit slow - the preschool having had a huge Family Day, also had to finish knitting my little Bull Calf's 'monster'...but, managed to get a few rows done:



The colour looks a bit dull now in the photo, but brighter things are coming!

Also startes with my 2nd project (my sis, me and aunty collaborating on an African Flower blanket for aunty) and I nearly started pulling my hair out.  My AF just didn't look right! Things improved when I made R3 and 4 the same colour, but still - the holes looked to big, R2 didn't feel right...



...so I 'll change the 2DC in R2 to 2DB a la Attic 24's Summer Garden, And I'll get rid of the Elle Marco stash that I'm actually trying to finish...doesn't work very well.  Hope to have more joy by next week with these flowers!

(This One-A-Day is veeeery good for one's productivity :-)

Later: Just look at the difference a differet yarn makes...

out with the Elle Marco, in with the Elle Pure Gold!

(This was a quick upload from Facebook, hence the small photo, still residing on my mobile)