A little catch up.

Hello, friends! I hope all has been well in your part of the world? Quite frankly I have been a little down with all the horrible going ons that have been taking place on our beautiful planet. There are days I think we all feel that we're just keeping our heads above rough waters. Hanging on by a thread of Yarn, as it were. I was chatting with a friend recently and we both wondered how anyone manages to not get depressed when they a) cannot appreciate the daily simple beauty and pleasures of "the little things " or b) have no creative desires or outlet. We agreed: those people generally become Politicians! :D

In between all the sadness of recent world events, I have been faithfully hook - in- hand at the lovely Frida's Flowers CAL ( yes, STILL!! ). It's taking much longer than I thought it would. But the end is in sight as I am finishing round 6! Yay!

I have lots of excuses, mainly PINTEREST! I have been crocheting small aside projects. I mean, you see them, and they are irresistible! I can't help myself! Like these little Pincushions, you just cannot NOT crochet them! :D

Also there have been family birthdays, and outings, and even a small holiday! And Flu. Then of course, in case you missed it. I have created a page here called "Colour Inspiration" and I am filling it with all the colour palettes I've designed. I have FOLDERS and FOLDERS of stunningly beautiful images on my PC. Whenever I look at them I just see Yarn. Anyhow, they are such fun to make so I'll just carry on. I have been crocheting squares in the palettes I've created. I haven't quite mastered the patience for writing out crochet patterns ( yet ). Watch this space.

I was having lunch with my youngest son yesterday and he suggested I become " a youtube sentation!" ( his words )!! Hahahaaa, well, I'll first have to overcome my lifelong Introverted Personality Shyness. But who knows. It may well be the answer to avoiding writing out patterns?

What I love most about Crochet is the ENDLESS variation. I cannot imagine ever becoming bored with this amazing craft.

Have a wonderful week, fellow Crochet-Travellers. Happy Hooking!

Love, always!

Ps: Find me here too! 

For the love of Colour!

I love colour ( who doesn't )!! I see inspiration in so many things. Mentally, I'm always breaking images up into balls of yarn and crochet projects. I like fairly simple palettes and get confused with too many colours. Five colours seem to work best for me. I may add one extra colour for an accent. Also, I enjoy making colour palettes, using Microsoft Publisher, from images. I'm a very visual person. If you want to teach me anything, you'll have to draw pictures! :D

I usually always use one or both of these yarns. Elle Family Knit DK or Elle Pure Gold DK. They are both good quality acrylic yarn, and also reasonably priced. Especially if you're into crocheting blankets and afghans. Although the Pure Gold is a bit softer, working them both into a piece hasn't been a problem for me. Both DKs come in a lovely selection of colours, and that's why I mostly choose them. Naturally, they are free of animal fibres, so suitable for Vegetarians ( like me! ). Naturally, I give names to my little colour palettes. It helps with remembering what's what!

Beautiful Spring Palette from Design Seeds! ❤

* A Warm Winter

• Elle Yarn Pure Gold DK - Silver
• Elle Yarn Pure Gold DK - Moonstone
• Elle Yarn Pure Gold DK - Soft Moss
• Elle Yarn Family Knit DK - Duck Egg
• Elle Yarn Family Knit DK - Snow Moon

* Midnight Owl

• Elle Yarn Family Knit DK - Denim
• Elle Yarn Family Knit DK - Crocus
• Elle Yarn Family Knit DK - Duck Egg
• Elle Yarn Family Knit DK - Mistletoe
• Elle Yarn Family Knit DK - Snow Moon
• Elle Yarn Family Knit DK - Stone

* Spicy Winter

• Elle Yarn Family Knit DK - Soft Lime
• Elle Yarn Family Knit DK - Citrus
• Elle Yarn Family Knit DK - Cognac
• Elle Yarn Family Knit DK - Turquoise
• Elle Yarn Family Knit DK - Sunshine

* Winter Floral

• Elle Yarn Family Knik DK - Light Grey
• Elle Yarn Family Knit DK - Shell Pink
• Elle Yarn Family Knit DK - Duck Egg
• Elle Yarn Family Knit DK - Aqua
• Elle Yarn Family Knit DK - Coral

* Rustic Winter

• Elle Pure Gold DK - Mist
• Elle Pure Gold DK - Bark
• Elle Pure Gold DK - Titanium
• Elle Pure Gold DK - Silver
• Elle Pure Gold DK - Ivory and/or Hazelnut

* Vintage Tea

• Elle Family Knit DK - Apricot and Coral Rose
• Elle Family Knit DK - Coral
• Elle Family Knit DK - Pale Rose
• Elle Family Knit DK - Soft Lime
• Elle Family Knit - Beige

* Plum Crazy:

• Elle Pure Gold DK    - Petrol*  Clementine*
• Elle Family Knit DK - Winter Sky* Olive*
• Charity DK                - Pine*

* Pastel Tea

* Earth and Sky

 Love, always!

Pluviophiles unite!

My favourite season, Winter, is in full swing! Yippee, for this pluviophile! I've had my hands very busy and warm making lovely chunky beanies, with Charity Seriously Chunky yarn. It's been difficult finding this yarn, though. I was surprised but it seems stocks were depleted way before Winter and suppliers have struggled to re-stock their shelves. I managed to find a few balls, enough for the project, at WolmartAfrica, and they were a really good price too! This is not a fancy yarn. It's a 150g ball of 100% acrylic and comes in a variety of yummy bold colours. I did expect it to hook up rather stiff but using a 10mm hook it turns out all soft and squishy and 10/10 on the " does this keep my head and ears warm" chart.

This is truly a Fishermans beanie! And very appropriate for our Cape of Storms! I imagine a little boat out on the deep granite-grey seas, bobbed about by frothy waves, a bunch of burly, weather-worn Fishermen hanging in, but all with delightfully bright, cheerful looking beanies. Then I imagine their boat is capsized and all that remains of them are a few rainbow coloured beanies washed up on a deserted beach. Oh dear, my INFJ imagination is never far away! LOL! Not that I'm laughing at the thought of dead people, oh no. I'm too soft-hearted for that.

These Fishermen Beanies are an order of 14, which my youngest daughter wants for her shop. She's an artist but also dabbles in clothing design. She loves shwe-shwe fabric and has developed a small range of clothing from it. These colourful beanies will be amazing accessories!

Initially, I wasn't going to take on this project. Chunky yarn, 10mm hooks...um, just no way. I have small hands and a dodgy neck from carrying around heavy babies, sometimes two at a time! I was imagining the pain at the end of this task. However, I found a lovely easy pattern HERE, which I adapted slightly. And after the third one it seems I became chunky yarn + 10mm hook fit...and now I'm chugging along quite comfortably.

We are starting with 14 beanies, and I'll take "refill" orders as they sell. Of course, this means that over the past few days I have had to set Frida's Flowers CAL aside. VERY SAD FACE. On the plus side, it made me stick to finishing up the order as quickly as I can so I can get back to FF!

Because I couldn't find a large selection of colours I bought a few balls of Chunky ( half the weight of the Seriously Chunky ) and crocheted two strands together. This was fun to do and worked out beautifully, and was easy to crochet up. They suited the simple ribbed design so I'll just carry on then. :D

And so I will love and leave you and wish you many hours of happy hooking!
Stay warm or cool, wherever you find yourself on this mad, bad , beautiful planet!

Love, always!

Hello again, July!

I love making desktop calendars for my PC. They help keep me on track.They are also exactly where I can find them.

Every year I gather an armful of Calendars. Our local bakery gives out one, as does our local pharmacy, the shoe store, the supermarket and the garage. Then there's always one or two in my Xmas stocking! By March, I'm looking for a calendar to mark an event or a weekend break! Like pens, and pencils, and socks, where do they disappear to?

Please feel free to pinch these for your own use. :D