Duchess, another cosy cowl!

 First things first...THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the comments on last week's Nomad Cosy Cowl post. I really tried to answer each one of you but ran out of steam! I love it so much that you all are so keen to participate in the Friday Giveaways! Instead of 5 Winners, I picked 12! It's always a lot of fun.

Lovelies, I made another cowl! I'm hooked, I'm addicted, I'm already making another one and have a few more sketched out! Help!

Why didn't anyone tell me that cowls are a fun quick project and that they look fabulous worn? Roxy agrees, and can you tell that she was definitely a supermodel in a previous life? That look! I was laughing so hard I couldn't keep the camera perfectly still. 😄

If you remember, last week I was a bit short of images for the Nomad Cosy Cowl HERE as seen in situ because the lovely Tanya was otherwise occupied? Well, here it is, on a neck so that you can get an idea of sizing on an adult human being. Although Roxy is humanlike in so many ways, and I treat her as such, she's not quite the model I'm looking for.

Today is a special one in the Hooks 'n Tales household. Mr Hooks'nTales has returned to the office after six months of enforced work-from-home due to you-know-what. The house is unusually quiet, the furry-kids are fast asleep on the couch. I can hear the comforting hum of the washing machine and soon I'll make a salad for lunch and enjoy it out in the garden, followed by a spot of crochet in a warm patch and possibly a leisurely walk at my favourite green belt. On the way back I may even stop at the local coffee station for a takeout almond milk cappuccino. Can you tell I love having " my space " back?

I've released the Duchess Cosy Cowl pattern HERE on Ravelry this morning! It's a quick and fairly simple design which, like Nomad, can be easily adapted for all sorts of other makes! I wanted to keep the pattern fairly basic leaving the options to bling it up, to the scope of your imagination! I've added pom-poms but I also wanted to add little flowers, leaves or bees...or tassels! I've just binge-watched the entire first season of The Duchess on Netflix HERE Can you tell I'm a huge Katherine Ryan fan? She is adorably outrageous ( albeit not everyone's cup of tea ). This cowl is a tribute to her. 

The weather here in Cape Town has not been Springy at all. It's rained every second day making thick socks, boots, woolly jumpers and hot chocolate very much the order of the day, so far. I'm not complaining. Ok, maybe a teeny bit. It would be nice to have a nice, warm, sunny day. Just to warm up the old, old, old, bones. Once a week would be fine.😄 

Other than the weather report...nothing much happening in my world ( a good sign ) other than crocheting cowls, typing out patterns, ORDERING YARN ONLINE ( teehee, as if I need more, which I don't! )... and everyday walks in splendid, magical Nature. Interspersed, however, with the homely duties that come with having a work-from-home husband chained to his desk up until yesterday! Oh, speaking of magical Nature, have you watched My Octopus Teacher on Netflix!? If you haven't yet...you really must! It's BEAUTIFUL!

This week I'll be giving away 5 x Duchess Cosy Cowls,  picked randomly from the Lucky WinnerS Hat. Winners from last week's Giveaway will find their Nomad Cosy Cowl pattern in their Ravelry inbox! Enjoy!

So, with hot chocolate in mind, also the washing machine tune just released to tell me I can remove the washload, this is a good time to wish you all a VERY lovely and relaxing weekend! I hope you are all staying safe and sane and crocheting yourselves through what has been an incredibly challenging year so far. Keep it up!

💗 Jen xx

Nomad: a cosy cowl!

 Happy Friday, Lovely Yarnarinnas!

I had no intention of making a Cowl. I blame it on my wayward hook! My lovely model Tanya ( youngest son's longtime GF ) is unfortunately away at the moment assisting at her sister-in-law's birth so we'll just have to imagine this cosy cowl around a cold neck. However, she did model the first sample I made which I will share even though the patterns are not entirely the same. Also, it's upside down...but no matter. 😆

We're moving towards our very windy season here in Cape Town. It's also not quite Spring yet so the breezes have a certain chill to them, just enough so that a cosy cowl becomes a useful item of walking gear. As you know, I am BIG on walking and if I do happen to miss a day my body berates me until I pull on a pair of boots, leash up those naughty girls, Roxy and Lally, and head for the woods. I don't know if any of you Lovelies have read Walking In This World HERE by Julia Cameron ( who wrote The Artists Way ) but if you haven't, please do!

Recently, one of my new favourite authors, Tom Cox HERE  shared some background information and inspiration behind his new book 21-Century Yokel HERE  about walking the length and breadth of the UK! Humans love to walk and run, and I imagine it's because, at heart and soul, we are Nomadic. And so it was, with all these walks and thoughts swirling about in my mind, that a crochet hook jumped into my hand, a few balls of yarn rolled closer and this cosy little cowl happened HERE.

The other thing about this cowl, other than being cosy that is, is that it's an incredibly easy pattern to just keep replicating until you have a larger wraparound cowl, or worked flat ( mine is made in the round ), a ginormous blanket! I like patterns that are versatile and this one definitely is.

Of course, our GIVEAWAY today is ...yep, you guessed it! 😀 I'll pick 5 names out of our LUCKY GIVEAWAY HAT next week Friday! Don't forget to leave your Ravelry name. 

Wishing you all a very happy, relaxed and peace-filled weekend.

💗 Jen

A new Block on the block!

 Good morning, Lovelies, from sunny South Africa. Not in Cape Town though. It's rained for weeks!

I don't know about you but I have been struggling to catch up with August. When I looked up from my crochet it was already into mid-August! There was so much talk during Lockdown of having endless acres of free time to do "stuff " we never have time to do otherwise because, you know, no time, etc, etc. Yet, almost everyone I chat with says that time whizzed by! There was no "learning a new language" or " writing that novel" or " clearing out the cluttered drawers ". Anyhow, I just want to tell you all that I know why this happened. I know where the time whizzed by to. It was crochet, right? Everyone has crocheted like MAD! For the record though.....

Like a good little Virgo, I did declutter my stash though. There's a lovely lady who works at our local plant nursery. Her name is Angelina. I didn't know that she knits and crochets. She asked about my Beanie ( Beanie For Days pattern ) which I happened to be wearing at the time, and suddenly we became sisters-in-the-hook! I gifted her two huge bags of unused yarn ( neon colours I know I will never use unless I go blind, god forbid! ), which she absolutely loved and she's been making beanies and scarves for her Fam that will last them several lifetimes. There's always someone who will love what you've fallen out of love with, right?

Anyhow...enough idle chatter! I have a pattern for you today! I called it Moonflower. Actually based more on the Lavender Moonflower ( aka Lavender Moonvine, Morning Glory ). It's my interpretation of this pretty flower which is in fact not indigenous to South Africa ( but they are prolific in certain areas ). I know Morning Glories are quite invasive but I love them nonetheless.

This new design is a large cushion block size, 50cm x 50cm/ 20" x 20". I've used colours from my dwindling Stylecraft Special DK and Scheepjes Colour Crafter and my trusty 4mm Tulip hook. For those of you not on Facebook, Mr HooksnTales surprised me with an early B'day present. A gorgeous set of Tulip hooks! Finally, he knows what to gift me! And PINK! 💜

Also, I made sure to make the finishing round of the block 84st so that you can extend it using any of the four extensions I already have available: High Tea, Hibiscus Tea, Golden Tea or Green Tea! I'm still mulling over whether I should extend it but for now, I can't see it in my mind's eye. While we are on the subject of Pink... our six very, very old Almond trees are blossoming! Spring is creeping closer and to be honest, after this particularly damp, stormy, chilly, snowy Winter, I don't mind at all that the weather will be warming soon. I know that in a few months I'll be regretting this sentiment.

I digress, as usual! 😀Ten randomly chosen Lovelies will receive a free copy of the Moonflower pattern so do check your Ravelry before purchasing. I've struggled for DAYS to get a half-decent pic of the block, but sadly the skies remained grey and unyielding to my pleas. This was the best of 100! 

There was a lot more I wanted to share but I'm sure no one wants to read a small book today. It is Friday after all!

Take care, Lovelies and I wish you all a wonderfully relaxing and peaceful weekend filled with squishy yarn and loads of free time!

💗 Jen xx

FriYAY!

Hello, Lovelies!

Honestly, I have been feeling a bit down in the dumps ( as I'm sure many of you have too!). It definitely has nothing to do with Winter. I'd live in the arctic north if I could! Another lifetime ago, when I travelled and lived in Europe I was waved off with dire warnings about European winters and how I'd be back in South Africa as soon as I couldn't wear flip-flops all year 'round. I bought my first EVER pair of winter lace-up boots, blue Sketches, in Amsterdam. My new friends taught me that snow, sleet and icy rain was " just weather " and no excuse for not bundling up and going out in -10C. I adapted and thrived! What a shock for a 6th generation African! Must be my Scots-Dutch-Danish-French ancestry? Mongrels are always hardier than purebreds, right?

The first thing I saw this morning, through the steam of a 5am coffee and after feeding 2 x Cats + 2 x Dogs + 3 x Apple Platys + 1 x Neon Tetra + 4 x Phantoms + 3 x Algae Eaters + 3 x Goldfish, and after I fired up my computer, was Noelene's version of the Arcadia Floral Square! Oh my, Noelene does have a fabulous way with colour placing!

To clear away the stormy clouds in my head I've been taking advantage of every sunny day so far, which haven't been many. I don't wish for sunny days though ever since we experienced that awful drought in 2017 where Cape Town City almost ran out of drinkable water! Last year, our Winter rainfall was above average but still, the entire month of July 2019 saw not a drop of rain which makes "rain in July" very welcome! Anyhow, my point is...the front steps of our cottage make a perfect spot for some winter-sunbathing and crochet. You'll find me here if you stop by, listening to The Fall of Civilisations Podcast by Paul Cooper...just to cheer myself up you know?

We've been watching the skies of late! Combine smoke from chimneys and rain clouds and you're in for a spectacular show. I snapped this with my lowly cellphone one early morning from the steps of the cottage, looking East.

This coming weekend Mr HooksnTales and I, plus the two Dogs ( did you notice I said TWO? ) are heading West to our off-grid Housie to see if it's still standing after last weeks epic storm. Next FriYAY, I will post some pics as we hope to see snow on the mountain peaks. Also, I'll introduce you to our new rescue called Leia ( as in Princess from Star Wars ). If you want to see our little Housie just click on the OFF-GRID LIFE tab under the cover pic above.

I'll be working on a new pattern, sat on a blanket under the Almond trees, while Mr HooksnTales mows the lawn and makes me cups of coffee ( just kidding!! I'll make coffee as long as he makes dinner! ).

Reading Material already packed:

1. Latest IDEAS magazine.
2. The Litte Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking.
3. The Art of Making Memories also by Meik Wiking.
4. Making Winter by Emma Mitchell

But before I wrap up ( heehee ), THANK YOU all, so much, for your lovely comments on the previous post! I've randomly chosen ( the old names-in-a-hat method ) 3 x recipients for the gorgeous Jasmine Sweater by Ana D  so please check your Ravelry inbox if you left a comment. This week, our GIVEAWAY is Spring Posy by Rosina Plane . If you do comment, don't forget to add your Ravelry name!

I hope you all have a lovely, peaceful and productive weekend.
Stay safe, stay calm and crochet on!
💙 Jen

PS: It's been bitterly cold and our old girl, Roxy spends most mornings wrapped up like a little sausage.

Beanies, for days!

Lovelies, how are you all? How are you bearing up in all this chaos worldwide?

It's still dark outside and very brrrrrrrr! I'm not complaining, I love Winter. A few days ago I was searching for my one and only beanie and realised that yes indeed, I'd given that one away too. I have a bad habit of giving things away that I actually need and it's made me think a lot about charity, or rather charitableness ( if that's a word? ). I'm not writing this for a pat on the back, because giving things away comes naturally to me. It's an affliction of sorts. I do it without thinking. I have literally taken off a jacket, scarf or beanie and given it to a person who looked like they needed it. Once, walking to work in the pouring rain, I saw two people huddled under a tree and yes, you guessed right, I handed over the umbrella and walked the further four blocks in the soaking rain. The next day I was hit with the worst Flu I have ever had which rendered me bed-ridden for two weeks with a further two weeks thrown in for good measure before I was strong enough to return to work. The phrase " a good deed never goes unpunished" springs to mind.

I could write a small book listing food, clothing, household items and even a very handsome crush I gave away to someone else I thought was needier than I was at the time. It's taken me almost my whole life so far to find the sweet spot between taking care of my own needs first, recognising the needs of others, and where ( more importantly how ), I can be of help in a truly productive way that adds to the dignity of the recipient. I've also worked on letting go of what I think people need. It's so easy to project our personal ideals on to a situation or person. We can never truly know what anyone needs unless they tell us, and the conundrum is...how many of us do the internal work of excavating deeply to unearth that information? We often discover that what we want and what we need are entirely two different things, right? It's generally difficult to ask for what we truly need and it's just as difficult to provide the help that is appropriate and profound. These days I ask " how can I be of help? " and without fail, it's always not what I thought I'd hear.

So where was I? Oh, right, my Beanie situation. I made a shortlist of Beanie Requirements.

1. Warm ( but not too warm seeing as Cape Town has four seasons in a day...layers, darling! ).
2. Colours I can match with any outfit.
3. No pom-poms or outrageous colours/patterns.
4. Covers the ears ( those icy south-easters! ).
5. Cannot actually feel it on my head. Heehee.
6. One for each day of the week...Beanies for Days.

I can't promise myself that I'll keep them all ( I've already given two to my beautiful model, Tanya who lives next door and is my youngest sons GF ).

I'd love to hear your thoughts about charity, so do please leave a comment below?
For your trouble, Beanies for Days HERE, is a FREEEEEE pattern ( whether you need it or not ). 😆

Until next time, Lovelies.

Stay well, stay safe, stay calm and crochet on!

💛 Jen

A very big THANK YOU to Tanya who was dragged ( lured with coffee ) out of her warm bed to model the Beanies in the rain! 

Love in the Time of Corona.

Dearest Lovelies in Crochetland, happy Friday and Happy New Month! 💗

I'm not even going to try and be upbeat today. I'm not going to lie about how I've been feeling. Even for someone like me who works from home and is the definition of a homebody, this enforced 21-day lockdown we are living with here in South Africa, is getting to me. Not because I am in any way disadvantaged but my thoughts, at 3am, stretch out to our wider, more vulnerable communities, and with a sick feeling of dread in my stomach, I fear for what is still to come.

Rather than bury my head in a squishy pile of colourful yarn balls I am making a point of staying marginally informed about what's been happening in our wider world. Italy. Spain. My heart!! So many countries in Europe where I have lived, worked and travelled and enjoyed unparalleled freedoms are now " locked down ". It's the sharp contrast that affects my emotional equilibrium these days. As a classic overthinker, my biggest challenge has been to keep breathing deeply, still my panicky thoughts and try to get on with, and enjoy my simple daily tasks and crafts.

Some things I have found incredibly useful to keep my mind from wandering to sadder thoughts or very deep anxiety:

💜1. Keeping a daily diary where I list everything I need to do on that day. Even the mundane tasks like washing dishes, doing laundry or clipping a hedge. I add it all to the list. Then I work through the list which, at the end of the day, makes me feel I've accomplished something every day rather than just curling up in a ball and fretting.

💜2. Keep up regular routines and personal standards. For example: eating meals at the dining room table ( properly laid, with candles for dinner ), not in front of the telly. Shower early, make the bed, get dressed and eat breakfast before 9am on weekdays. Making sure all snacks and meals are what my body needs, not what my body is demanding ( crisps, cookies and chocolate! ). My thinking is that if I allow things to slide, including myself, it's just going to make me feel a whole lot worse when Covid-19 is behind us.

💜3. Keeping up social media accounts. This requires discipline because the natural inclination when you're feeling anxious and/or depressed is to withdraw. Keeping in touch with the wider world through social media is a blessing for sure. I've made a point of sharing positive and amusing memes or stories and not latest updates on the spread of Covid-19. Thank you, communications technology!

💜4. Stay on track with my Design "work". This requires a certain mindset which is extremely beneficial when you apply it. Fully engaged with designing is definitely a calming meditation.

💜5. Accepting that this awful Virus is going to be with us for many, many months has been very hard to do. There is a saying " adapt or die ". I choose to accept that we are entering a phase of a "new normal " and I'm working on adapting. Not easy!!

I know that many of you Lovelies are going through the exact same emotional rollercoaster ride as I am. I'm sending you all a HUGE virtual hug. I know it's scary times right now but you are going to be alright! 💗

And, of course, it's not all doom and gloom, right?
Once again, I'll be making 3 x patterns FREEEE for the weekend starting.....NOW! I've called these weekends " Love in the Time of Corona ", after one of my favourite books, Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

I'm beginning to run out of patterns to give away! LOL!

This weekend, from your list, I've picked:

 🌹  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/midsummer-solstice

 🌹  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sunrise-beach-square

🌹  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-amanzi-block-throw

Hang on....there's more!

Tadaaaa...PART 2 of the Green Tea Extension is live! As soon as the Extension is completed I will make the Block + Extension FREE for 24 hrs. So keep your peepers peeled for that announcement!

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/green-tea-extension

Let me know how you are coping with self-isolation in your patch of Crochetland? How are you managing your stress levels and have you found certain things helpful? Please share with us?

Stay safe, stay calm and crochet on, Lovelies!
💗 Jen

January, done and dusted!

Hello lovely, Lovelies and Happy Friday!

Can someone please tell me where January went? Were we not just celebrating the Silly Season and galavanting about the countryside enjoying our holiday festivities? On social media I see loads of memes joking about January being 12 months long and I guess if you're skint after all the gifting then it can feel that way, right? However, for me at least, it seems as if time is flying by uncomfortably quickly! I've been deliberately trying to sloooooooow right down and that helps but I've identified one time stealer, aaargh and it's CROCHET!

For example: when I read a book or even a magazine, especially if it's all-absorbing I'll look at the clock and see that time has barely moved forward. Much like dreaming, when you're pulled into a compelling narrative, time expands. When I crochet, I may have completed a few short rows which to my mind took " only a few minutes " yet, the clock has whizzed forward two hours! Time is tricky, that's for sure.

As a recovering Chronically Very Busy Person with the Attention Span of a Fruit Fly, I've identified a few things that definitely help to slow down my perception of time flying by:

💚Do one thing at a time and do it until it's completed ( SO MUCH harder than it sounds especially for Multitaskers ).
💚Prioritise Tasks. Feeling overwhelmed and rushed for time...steals time. Learn to delegate. This lesson is hard but very important, especially for us Women who often feel that we need to do everything or it will never get done. If no one will help, lower your standards.😄
💚If possible, take an afternoon nap ( this gifts you an extra few hours into the night, which extends your day tadaaaaa! ).
💚Weather and shelter permitting, eat breakfast, lunch or dinner al fresco ( savour and enjoy your meals outside...NO CELLPHONES, unless you're a Doctor ).
💚Step away from social media, especially if you're not purposefully engaging. Mindless scrolling is a time stealer!
💚Create pleasant daily rituals. I like to light candles and tea lights, even in Summer.
HERE are 127 Ideas if you can't think of any.
💚Adopt or participate in a physically engaging exercise ( gardening counts! ). Have you noticed how it takes three whole hours to get through a gruelling half-hour routine? But you don't have to suffer. I walk every day and my hour-long walk stretches out like a rubber band because I'm fully engaged with and exploring the environment. Back in my car, driving home, my rubber-band time warp snaps back to reality. I realise only an hour has passed by. Walking for the win!

I want to say "Stop Crocheting" because time whizzzzzzzes by when you do ( I can't count the number of pots of burnt rice that attest to this )...but ...well, that's never going to happen, right? All the more reason to cut back on time stealers and adopt time makers.

On this topic of slow life, if you worked through The Artist's Way then you will love this book by Julia Cameron called Walking in This World. Both books changed my life so they come Highly Recommended.

Taking a few moments to appreciate our walk. A time slowing sound bite.

Stopped and spotted, on our walk, this extraordinarily beautiful exotic trumpet-like flower! I wouldn't have noticed it if I was hurriedly marching along. 

Can anyone identify it? 

Some of you Lovelies may have seen my little post on Instagram about painted stones? I especially choose places to "hide" them on our walks, places that are not terribly easy to spot. It must feel like a  💥Big Surprise💥 to find one or it's no fun for the Finder, right? Making these slowed time.

I forgot to take a pic of the first one I hid ( it's been claimed! ). Today I'll see whether STAND TALL found a home. If it has, then I'll hide another. You probably think I'm bonkers but I am getting an inordinate amount of fun and pleasure from doing this!

On another floral note, I made a garden nook on my verandah using a pallet. I kill houseplants so my personal challenge is to not murder ( with love ) these shade-loving beauties. Wish me luck. Making this little nook and taking care of it, is a time- slowing mindful practice. I still need to get some pretty pots! Then delegate the task to Mr HooksnTales of attaching the pallet to the wall seeing as I'm not sure my late Father-In-Laws walking cane will last as a prop. But having known the stoic man, it will probably last forever!

The Flowers I Chose.
Bottom Left: 1 x Alstroemeria ( aka Lily of the Incas or Peruvian Lily ). Second and Top Shelf Left: 2 x White + 1 x Pink Begonias, Right: 2 x Fuschias. The rest are recovering- almost- murdered indoor plants which I am willing back to life.

Then I added a few little bits of kitchenalia and other thingies to the display.

You're probably wondering if I'm ever going to talk Crochet? In a sense, my floral world is all about crochet and crochet is about the floral world seeing as Flowers are always what inspires me most.

If you've been on other social media you'll have seen my post about the Scheepjes Secret Garden yarn? Oh my, I absolutely loved working with this yarn while hooking up a simple Granny Square blanket. It's a cotton-silk-polyester blend in gorgeously romantic colours! Sadly, it's only available here in South Africa from Be Inspired and way too expensive for my purse. But I was gifted one ball of each colour which made me feel terribly lucky and rich inside. 😊

And on that note, our new GIVEAWAY is this pretty and interesting pattern by Jane Crowfoot called The Janis Floral Wrap. All you need to do to participate is leave a comment below in the comments section, with your Ravelry name! Easy peasy!

💗To the three Lucky Winners of our last Giveaway, CONGRATULATIONS! 💗

In my next blog post, I will be able to share some more information on the upcoming Green Tea Throw ( yarn + colourway...and a sneak peek! ) which will be released, in full, on 1 May 2020.

Lovelies, I wish you a wonderfully slow and luxurious weekend.
If it starts getting hectic, take a deep breath, say NO, make yourself your favourite beverage and remind yourself that self-care is just as important as any other care required to preserve something precious.

💗 Jen

Happy January, Happy New Year, Happy New Decade!

Hello, Lovelies!

I know, I did already do all my Happy New Year social media posts so I KNOW you know I wish you all, dear Yarny Friends, a VERY Happy, Healthy, Prosperous, Joyous and Contented 2020! Can't say it too many times these days... we need all the good luck, good thoughts, good words and good deeds we can get, right? I, for one, am launching myself into this new decade... well "launching" may be a bit exaggerated ( my dodgy knee ) feeling determined to make every day count for something.

For me, this means:
💙 Not wasting time worrying about things I cannot change (my default setting is dialled high on Worry).
💙 Making healthy choices every day (not just occasionally). This means, getting enough sleep, cutting down on social media, walking EVERY DAY, eating even more sustainably (plant-power whoohoooo!), cutting out plastic from my life ( a huge task, right? ).
💙 Reading "world" News only once a week ( I need to know if an asteroid or tsunami is headed my way )!
💙 Reading a good fiction book at least once a month (suggestions welcome).
💙 Drinking top-notch coffee (life is too short to waste on instant nonsense ever again).
💙 Turning my frown upside down (so much harder than you'd expect considering what's going on in our poor old world).
💙Journal regularly (it's either that or a Therapist). To get myself motivated, I bought an inexpensive journal and made Nisha witness my good intentions. Anyways, those Owl Eyes will guilt trip me into doing what I said I'd do!

It's been very hot and humid over the last few days and Roxy and I have headed out to our beloved tree-lined Alphen Trail every day. Read more about this LOVELY walk HERE. The river looks like a skinny snake now as it wends its way towards the ocean. We begin our walk at Quince where they make the best coffee I have tasted in a long while. I'm not a snob on any level but have conceded that I am indeed a Coffee Snob. Quince has spoiled me and now I can never move house seeing as they're my Coffee Dealer and only 73 steps from my front door. Roxy is becoming a Very Good Girl at restaurants. Believe me when I say that in the past she was NOT a Very Good Girl but rather a little Monster on the lead and would try and pinch people's carrot cake right off their cake forks!

There are a number of these swings placed along the river bank and you can't see it in the image above but some of these swing out over a 10metre drop! Roxy and I like to climb up and down these steep embankments looking for treasure. Usually, it's just some pretty dried wild grasses, a colourful leaf or some interesting branches but yesterday.....oh, my! I literally yelled out loud "I'M SO LUCKY!", like an excited child! I found this painted stone and when I turned it over there was this! It's a thing. I never knew. I love this idea and if you like, you can join the CT Rocks! Group and start planting your own stones. I'm definitely going to paint a few stones and leave a pleasant surprise for someone else.

Finally, you're probably wondering when I'm going to get around to talking Crochet! This year I'll be releasing the Green Tea Block and Extension in May. MAAAAY I can hear you shouting, that's sooo faaar awaaaay! Thing is, I am admitting defeat...I simply cannot function in full crochet mode through our hot and humid Cape Town summer months. I've tried. I was even pregnant through three Summers just to prove I could do it. It must be age creeping up on me, or global warming, but my capacity to tolerate extreme heat has diminished year on year and it's now at 0%.

HOWEVER, I can manage smaller projects and as many of you may have already noted, Bloemfontein Rose is out of retirement, rewritten, resized and accompanied by a full Video tutorial!
I think last year I mentioned that bringing the older patterns out of retirement was on my project radar and now I'm going at them, all hooks blazing!

Last of all is our first Giveaway of the roaring 20's! I fell in love with the Norway Spruce Blanket by Rosina Plane. Isn't it lovely? Not to mention it will add to your crochet skills list, right? All you need to do to stand a chance of being one of our 3 x Lucky Winners is find the little clue in the pic below which points us to a future Holiday. If you can guess which one that is, then leave a comment in the comments section below and don't forget to add your Ravelry name! Good Luck! 🍀

Thank you so much for stopping by and see you in Crochetland!
💗 Jen

Lights on, Lights off, Lights on! Part 2.

Hello, Lovelies!

I am happy and relieved to report that the lights are still on!
We have been given a promise by the Powers That Be that there will be no rolling power outages until January 13!
I'm not even going to think about that right now. I mean, what a way to herald in a new year?

This means that I have been jotting down a strategy in my notebook, a way forward in the dark, so to speak.
Laptop fully charged up at all times. Check.
Solar Torch Lights fully charged. Check.
UPS fully charged. Check
Gas Bottles filled! Check
Phone battery charged. Check.
Candles and Tea Lights. Check.
Vodka to help me cope! I'M KIDDING! You all know my hardtack is Coffee!

If you can think of anything else I need to add to that list please let me know!
There are silver linings though. At least I don't have to charge up my Hooks or Yarn! 😁

I'm looking forward to Friday 20 December when most large companies close for the Christmas Holidays. Our normally crazy busy noisy road will quieten right down. What a relief! Now, just to find a way to get Mr Noisy Neighbour to leave town for a few weeks.

I'm also looking forward to more outdoorsy holiday time. Designing is quite an isolated loner type occupation which keeps me in my little workroom most daylight hours. That's why I tend to move things around in this space. My attempts at a change of scene, I think? Of course, when I am away from this workspace, studio, atelier, crochet-cave...I MISS IT TERRIBLY! Luckily Roxy insists on walks, and lots of them and when Mr HooksnTales is home there is no skipping those. My outdoorsy holiday project is TO.GET.OUT.MORE!

A short clip of another walk with Roxy...very windy though!

Mr HooksnTales and I have been chatting about spending some weekends away, but in our own neighbourhood. Short drives ( under half an hour ). We live in a very popular Tourist destination so there are lovely places to stay and things to see and do right on our doorstep.

A few weekends ago we spent two days and two nights at the AMAAAAAZINGLY comfy, beautiful Inn At Castle Hill in Kalk Bay. In fact, it was a happy mistake...or rather, a frowny experience turned upside down. I'd booked our weekend away at another Guesthouse only to arrive and find we'd been booked into the worst room! Also, they were totally unapologetic and I lost the full amount I'd paid in advance! Crikey, talk about an upset. I almost cried right there. They didn't have another room available either.  We tried a few other Guesthouses but everywhere was fully booked. As we left ( so disappointed! ) to drive back home we passed the Inn at Castle Hill. They had one room available and from there on everything was perfect.

THE GUESTHOUSE KITCHEN!

THE ARTWORK ( this was my favourite )!

WE WERE EXHAUSTED!

THE TILES!!!!

THE VIEW!!

THE WRAP AROUND VERANDA!

We'll definitely do this again.💗
All we did was walk, eat and sleep on repeat. It was lusciously relaxing so much so that I forgot to take more pics!

Vegan omelette ( made with Chickpea flour ) at The Courtyard Cafe!
So YUM I added a recipe  HERE! 
Definitely a MUST TRY.

Roxy spent the weekend with her nieces and nephew, Stella, Laya and Paul... and had a ball!

Back to reality!

I have managed to almost fulfil my own target of making six Mandalas to fit the 6 x 10" embroidery hoops I found when I was decluttering my workroom. I've completed five. It was more challenging than I thought it would be to design in a 10" radius! And in a set timeframe. I wanted to pack it in after #5 but I think I might squeeze #6 in before New Year? So much for doing nothing but eat, sleep and walk for my little Summer Hols!

So, tadaaa...#5, called MidSummer Solstice. Again, I dived into my little stash of Scheepjes Catona 10g minis, and again, I'm not sure the colours I chose measured up to what I saw in my mind's eye. But Noelene loved them! Although my personal favourites are these yummy shades.

MidSummer Solstice is also our new GIVEAWAY! This time I would love to hear about your New Years resolutions for 2020! I'm a great believer in Resolutions. Lots of people make them and then quickly break them but I like to stubbornly stick to mine. In many ways, it does help me to keep on track throughout the year. How about you? As always to participate in this GIVEAWAY,  leave your comment and Ravelry name in the comments section below and I will choose 5 winners! 😊

And that's it from me for now!
I will make one more Blog Post for 2019, just to wrap things up, and then...whooohooo, we'll be entering the Roaring Twenties!

See you in Crochetland!
💗 Jen