One-A-Day-Hung-in-a-Tree

Hi everybody!

Don't you think for one moment that because we're on summer holiday, it would actually be...summery. 

No ways.

In  one day we'll have short bouts of sunshine, wind, misty rain, drizzle, cold rain, fog coming in over the bay...but at least we're gazing at the ocean!

I completed ± 25 stars (estimating from the picture here, not all visible), hooked some loops, added some beads (with difficulty, as warned about by my sisi), but look, here they are!  Happily flapping away in the Garden Route wind.  I grouped all of them together on the leaf-less (don't know why) part of the tree, and it really looks nice.  Some even has a bell of two.    

Am I going to be doing this again next year? 

You BET.

But with nice cotton, and more of that little bunting and bells and beads. 

So I've started with Simultaneously Hooked Holiday Project 1:

...a new-wool scarve for my cold sis in wet, dreary, cloudy, dark Ireland; to brighten her day. 

A full post will be devoted to this bright, sunshiny softness.

(When I'm back home, with my download cables and Picasa...these were downloaded from mobile uploads on Facebook...).

Whilst hooking away I was sipping rooibos tea with honey and snacking away on one of my absolute favourite things in the world, a good old South African milktart, much the same as the French and Portuguese baked custards. We like ours baked in puff pastry, with more than a dash of cinnamon sugar. 

I could survive on this! 

Simultaneously Hooked Holiday Projects 2 and 3 entails a Cath Kidston tin with 6 small balls turning into a cushion, and some plain cotton twine growing into a little sunhat.

Then there's the plastic bags being cut up (#4) and the wool mix aran (#5) and the Ripple Blanket (#6)...I really am making sure I'll be busy.

Enjoy your holiday if your having, and I wish all the One-A-Dayers (and others) and blessed Christmastime!  And again, thankyou to Carole for hosting this CAL.  I'm looking forward to seeing the last post of this year at Gingerbread Girl.

Ravelry Blog-Along 2

I knew I wasn't going to make the weekly updates, so I aimed for monthly, and already I am late!  So here goes, in the middle of the week...

(Apologies...Blogger is playing games with my layout and fonts today)

“Knucks” fingerless gloves (knit)



I couldn't find the pattern for the Knucks, hid it away so successfully...BUT I found a pattern for fingerless gloves, knitted with only two needles (apparantly it's usually done with 4?).  Now, I'm in two minds about this.  The pattern is described as easy, which it actually is, but there are parts that are a bit difficult to figure out.  Figured out I did, because I finished the right hand quite easily, but am stuck with the left hand now and actually had to unravel 4 fingers. I WILL finish it, and before this winter is over!  Will wear it, if only for 5 min early one morning.  And then I'm going to knit the same for my husband (on request) in a blue/green/brown self-stripe, to use when he hunts (being a walk-and-stalk bow hunter). And then I'm going to knit some more of these, because it's just so nice to wear. 

 Two cushions for the little beach house

These have been crocheted, super-quick, although I understand now why people describe some acrylics as 'nasty'...these came free with a crochet magazine and although the colours are nice, it was...nasty to work with.  I love the final result. Now to find the right fabric to do the back!

and COMPLETED...

Blanket for Baby M (done!)
Done, delivered and waiting for baby M to arrive, hopefully in two weeks.

Well on the way and enjoying it!

Ravelry Blog-Along 1

Doing this post in English as I joined in on the Ravelry Blog Along, compleeting a list of ten patterns from July 2011 to July 2012. Bearing in mind the shortness of my attention span and my , uhm, poorish organisation, this might be quite something to try and achieve, but here goes, with my list!

1. Blanket for Baby M (done!)

 For this blanket I used Lucy's Summer Garden Squares pattern. I added one extra round to make the squares a bit larger. The plan was to do a nice and neutral blanket, as the baby's gender is still unknown, but a bit of waiting for my LYS and the unraveling of half a joined blanket later, it turned into a bright red blanket! It's actually done now, ready to be mailed and sent off to Kenton-on-Sea on the east coast of South Africa, waiting for Baby M to be born. I really liked doing this square pattern and will definitely do up some more in this (more about the 'history' of this project in my previous blogs, although in Afrikaans).

2. Bunting flags from a pattern in Country Living UK (June)

3. Mug cosies (2)
I have actually completed 2 of these, but want to do 2 more for my boys' tin cups we use when camping.  A bit difficult to find a pattern that will fit our cups, so will have to play around with that until I get something that works.

4. Vintage Stripe Blanket (biiiig project, actually started with it already…)
When I started crocheting in April this year, this was the pattern I started with, found also via Attic 24 (it looked quite easy, and actually is, and you would be astounded by the mistakes that I made...). But. The blanket is about 60 cm done already, but put aside for awhile to give me time to complete a few other things. Must make a Big Decision about it, actually, and then project nr 4 might actually change to...a Ripple Blanket...doing a lot inspired by our girl Lucy :-)

5. “Knucks” fingerless gloves (knit)
Our Highveld winters can get quite cold and dry, and this year I decided I wanted a pair of fingerless gloves (yes, and now the worst of winter might be over!). But I'll my needlies and yarn with met when I visit MIL next week, as she is quite a knitter and might be able (willing?) to help this novice.  Now I can't find the link to the pattern, but it is the Knucks featured on Ravelry. 

6. Hanger covers, lots
My sis and I decided that this year's Christmas present will mostly be handmade and small, therefor, a few females will get nicely covered hangers this year. The pattern I found is actually written in Norwegian, of which the Google translation is quite interesting to follow, but the pictures are good and should be easy to follow. 

7. Sunflower garland (have to refine that pattern)
I want to make  sunflower garland either for my kitchen or our little beach house.  There are many patterns available, but I'm not entirely happy with any of them, so I'm busy figuring one based on two others, which I will share when I actually get it figured out!

8 Figure out and do a protea flower
Ditto, as above! Except that there doesn't seem to be a protea pattern in existence, so I'm already making a novicy plan there :-)

9 2 pillows for the beach house
Easy.  Same pattern as in nr 1, the Summer Garden Squares, and I will use acrylic yarn available now with a Learn to Crochet magazine.

10 Round cushion for my old wrought iron chair
I was looking around for patterns for round cushions, when I came about Alice's Granny Mandala tutorial.  So this shall be used for the top part of the cover, exactly what I wanted!

11 Green flowery scarve
Yes, actually 11 patterns, and this I will leave for last, it can be ready for next autumn.  Also from thr Learn to Crochet magazine.

So there! I will update on this Blog-Along once a month, the first Sunday of the month.  Not much pictures today, sorry!   I negotiating the New Editor again, after some pains. Very much the beginner-blogger, me.