My African Valentino!

Before I say anything else, let me just say this...January 2018 has been one of the busiest and most exciting months I have ever had! Other than when my youngest son decided to show up mid-January 1993, while I was at home and the Midwife, 70klm away, stuck in a Friday afternoon traffic jam! Suffice it to say he was delivered by my Husband! It was a sweltering Summer afternoon too. When the Midwife finally arrived, 20 minutes later, we were already celebrating with cold Apple Ciders!

Usually, I have some time to ease into a New Year, re-capping the past year's events and milestones which always seem to determine a whole bunch of New Year Resolutions ( like deadlines, I tend to watch them swishing by ). They ( the resolutions ) are completely reactive eg: I have gained 5k = I must lose 5kg or, I need to walk more often = find a previously loved treadmill. However, not this January! Anyhow...before I go off on a tangent let me focus.

As I mentioned in my previous post, a yarny Fairy Godmother has magicked some yarn all the way over from her yarny palace in a cooler faraway land, over Africa, and soon into my humble and crumbling 117-year-old abode. In Muggle lingo: the amazing Scheepjes Yarns have most generously sent me the best present any Fanatical Yarnie could wish for...YARN...and lots of it too! As soon as the packages arrive I will be eagerly/feverishly sharing the GREAT UNPACKING with you all!

In the meantime, while I wait patiently ( hahahahaa...that is SUCH a lie! I am in knots of anticipation!! ) my hands are keeping busy. There is THE SHAWL ...and it's lovely. My three Testers Of The Shawl, who are also the awesome and competent Admins on our HooksnTales Patterns Workshop Group, have almost completed their versions and as usual, theirs look so much better than mine! Which is why they are my Testers! I will be making this Shawl in Scheepjes Yarn...I chose Colour Crafter Velvet....and I CANNOT wait to get going! Here you can see Augusta ( aka Babsie ) modelling the original version. 😼

IN THE MEANTIME...I made a little stash-buster square. It's 10" x 10"/26cm x 26cm and perfect for all sorts of decorative bits and pieces or even bigger projects. My forte, I think, is components for Afghans, Throws and Cushion Covers. I might add Shawls to that list. Anyhow, before I start talking about Shawls again. This square is to celebrate a few special events in February.

❤ My first child and eldest Daughter was born February 17.
❤ My Husband and I were married February 13 ( and yes, it was a Friday! )
❤ It's Valentine's Day, February 14!

So, Ladies and Gents of the Yarn... welcome to My African Valentino!
To celebrate all these magical moments in February, I am offering this pattern FOR FREE until and including February 14th! So hurry up and grab it while you can! It's such a fun and easy pattern yet the outcome is quite dramatic...full of passion, I think?

When I first began to crochet in earnest in 2014 I imagined that all my projects would be personal little adventures. Yet, little did I know that a few crochet adventures would lead to bigger and better life adventures too. Life, my lovelies, is full of happy surprises...don't forget that!

Wherever you are in Crochetland, I wish you lots of happy adventures and lovely surprises.

Take care ❤
Jen xxx

❤

A little catch-up and some big Magic.

Hello, Lovelies!

It's been awhile, I know! Mind you, I always feel that it's perfectly in order to still be wishing everyone a very prosperous, peace-filled, creative and HAPPY NEW YEAR right up until the last day of January. I mean...our Christmas tree is still up!

December 2017 and January 2018, so far, have been wild weeks! Firstly, we are full on into Summer and it is hot, hot, hot! To make matters just a tad more uncomfortable, it is also humid, but wait there's more! We are also in the worst drought ever recorded. Cape Town, my fellow Yarnies, is pretty much barrelling towards receiving the dubious award of "FIRST MAJOR CITY TO ACTUALLY RUN OUT OF WATER"! Read more here and here

However, we are a city of Hipsters, Hippies, Surfers, Skateboarders, Designers, Fashionistas, Entrepreneurs, Ambitious Waldorf Moms and Upwardly Mobile Families who have no intention of giving up our morning Espresso's, Skinny Soy Lattes or Almond Milk Cappuccinos just because our main water supply, The Teewaterskloof Dam, is a paltry 23% full! Oh no, we have ALL sprung into action and this weekend, just to show you how committed we are to saving water, Mambos, Plastics For Africa and pretty much every retail outlet were SOLD OUT of all their buckets and containers! My husband was inspired to build a Compost Sawdust Loo, Ladies and Gents! Environmentally sound, waterless and might I add, completely odourless too! Read more about this here!

But nevermind that! Innovative ideas have sprung up like weeds on a wet day and I bet the email inbox at the City of Cape Town offices, is jam packed with amazing ideas! Necessity is indeed the Mother of Invention, and we are seeing that age-old wisdom come alive. So it is equally a distressing yet inspiring time!

Enough about our water-woes and let's take a look at what's happening in my little patch of Crochetland, shall we? It hasn't been complete stagnation. I did complete 12 patterns in 2017! If you remember I also hooked off three Free Xmas themed patterns before Xmas, which I see have been downloaded 100's and 100's of times! You can find them all here

The Riebeek-Kasteel Block, which I designed just before the Festive Season, has been a hit! It was designed as a Cushion Cover, quick enough to work over a weekend and such a fun square to explore. I really enjoyed the design process here.

credit: Maryke Etsebeth

Then Amanzi...WOW, what can I say? It keeps going, like a rocket! I would love to display each and every one here, but the Blog post would go on and on! You can view the growing Gallery here.  I have had to set up a Hooks 'n Tales Pattern Workshop Group and appoint actual Admins and Moderators to help. They have all been incredibly motivated, totally helpful and such a fun bunch and so far I've hardly had to do a thing!

credit: Lynn Morris

credit: Joanne Kinter

credit: Cindy van der Schee

It's funny how one thing leads to another. In 2014, all I wanted to do was Crochet to recover from acute and debilitating burnout and now I have a fabulous Team of Crocheters willing to offer their time, expertise and support! I have a dedicated Studio Space, where I can work in relative peace and quiet, where I can keep all my crochet related paraphernalia in one place, and where I can close the door and dream up new designs. It really is a dream come true.

I'm a firm believer in Big Magic. I have seen it in action in my own life and the lives of those who Dream, who show up and do the work, and who are willing to step out of their comfort zones...even just a little. If you haven't read Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert I recommend it highly because I do know exactly what she means. Which brings me to the best news which is always kept for last, right?

I am proud to announce, TA DAAAA,  that I am now collaborating with the fabulous and prestigious yarn house, Scheepjes!! Take note, I am not one of their Bloggers so you won't see my mug on their website or anything. Rather, they have taken a fancy to my designs and have VERY generously offered their support in the way of Yarn!

Dear Yarnies....is that not every Crocheters BIG MAGIC DREAM come true? I can design and crochet to my heart's content with the loveliest yarns which have been totally out of my reach so far. I have been a longtime fan of Scheepjes Yarns since I first stumbled upon Wink's ( aka the dearly departed and amazing Marinke Slump ) gorgeous website A Creative Being. Which led me to Dedri Uys ( a fellow South African now in the UK ), then Tatsiana from LillaBjorns Crochet ( I made her Circles of The Sun cushion ) and on to all the other Scheepjes Bloggers where I would drool over the lovely design offerings in amazing Scheepjes yarns...and Dream. As I write, there is a large delivery winging it's way to me from Holland, over Africa and eventually into my hot, sweaty little paws in Cape Town, South Africa!

I am SO EXCITED I cannot even express it well enough.

And so, this is where I will love and leave you, with your hook, yarn and hopefully a quiet place to dream your special dreams.

'til next time!
Take care,
Jen xxx

Ouma's Vintage Bunting.

As I was making this I couldn't help thinking back to a very loooong time ago, when I was a little girl of five. who had just lost her Mom. My Ouma and my Moms sisters took me in and the five years I spent with them before my Father remarried were, until I had children of my own, the happiest times of my life. I could write a book about my Ouma, Katerina Johanna Derksen. Perhaps one day I might.

Although she never taught me to crochet, she did teach me to knit and cook. She had a little step-up made so that I could reach the stove, and also a special shelf was set aside for all my little pots and pans and cooking utensils. I owe it to her that my love for cooking led me to run a very successful vegan cafe! Although, I'm not sure she would have approved of my "otherworldly" vegan offerings! She was old-fashioned to a T! Meat, potatoes, a good daily dose of Epsom salts and Bible verse built character and intellect!! There was no alternative way other than a straight to Hell card! 😄 Questioning her rule was unthinkable seeing as she was unfailingly staunch in her beliefs and she never learned to properly speak English. She was a proud Afrikaner with a capital A!

I was her first grandchild and she was also my Godmother! In her eyes, I could do no wrong. I loved her dearly! Her house, I think, stamped a blueprint in my young brain for every future home I would either desire, live in or own. Oregon pine floors, ornate pressed ceilings, a proper pantry always fully stocked with mason jars of syrupy peaches, guavas, and figs. On the bottom shelves, homemade ginger beer fizzled away in their corked bottles.The bay windows and their ornament laden sills, a wide verandah with overstuffed comfy chairs, screen doors to keep out flies and mosquitos, a large black coal stove with it's never ending pot of apricot konfyt bubbling away. Large homemade loaves in the oven, every morning, like clockwork. Her backyard veggie garden and fruit trees were her pride and joy. My love for all these down-to-earth old-fashioned things comes directly from my Ouma. She always had her sewing machine out, or her knitting needles or crochet hook and yarn! Ironically, she was a crochet addict, and yet she never got around to teaching me!

Of course, this Bunting, with it's 50's vintagey vibe would have been right up her alley! I can almost see it hanging across the bay window in her cosy living-room, the Christmas tree in the corner, bedecked with twinkling lights, her old cat, Ounooi, curled up on her lap, a tall Brandy and Coke on the little side table, along with her Rothmans cigarettes ( she smoked until she was 85! ) and Bing Crosby on the old gramophone singing "I'm dreaming of a White Christmas".

My Ouma passed on at the grand old age of 96, still listening to "politics" on her little radio, as witty, strong-minded and devout as ever! I'm honoured to have known her, and I definitely feel her affection and influence in my life every day.

This sweet old-fashioned Bunting works up really quickly and is also a FREE PDF DOWNLOAD pattern! Again, just to say thank you for all the support that has come my way this year. It's been AMAAAAAZING!

❤❤❤ 

There is also a full video guide. So you can't go wrong!

I will be officially on Holiday from Dec 12 - Jan 16 2018! Yippee! But if you really do need to get hold of me please do not hesitate to send an email. I am always here to help.

Big hugs and see you in the New Year! 

Ps: apologies for the poor image quality... that Red freaked out my little camera and all the photographs came out weird looking!😁

The Sutherland Starflake.

Photo credit (click the link )

I've never been to Sutherland so I have no idea what I'm writing about. It's a magical faraway place that apparently has big open skies and the coldest temperatures, mid-winter than any other town in South Africa (clearly whoever wrote THAT has never visited Clarens in The Free State) !

Photo Credit: Amy Marx-Clarens 2016

But this is not the reason I want to visit so badly, rather, it's the fact that Sutherland is home to the largest telescope ( in the world? ). This gigantic telescope is housed at the South African Astronomical Observatory near Sutherland! And we know that big sky country is top of the list if you're a stargazer like me.

Read more HERE
Every Winter I promise myself that this is the Winter of my non-discontent about missing another Winter in Sutherland! In the meantime, I daydream about this little town. I imagine the calm and quiet of the night, dampened by snowfall, the magnificent expanse of a diamond-bedecked canopy, a cosy cottage, fire blazing in the hearth. I imagine the road trip up there ( it's a four-hour drive from Cape Town ) and what hooky I'll take along.

If you have never visited South Africa you might imagine our homes and especially guest accommodation, would be decorated in true Afrikana style, you know Leopard skins on the floor, Buck heads on the wall, especially if it's somewhere in or near a game hunting lodge or Safari trail. However, most South Africans avoid the obvious like the plague!

We have developed our own unique eclectic style, from fashion to food, from interior design to textiles and beyond. An aside: did you know South African, Elon Musk invented Pay Pal? Where I live now, in the Western Cape, which is one of our nine Provinces, we have retained our Dutch and French heritage ( our vineyards are world famous ) and there is a definite Dutch-French Provencal influence, a rustic-shabby-chic-country style that is so incongruent with "Africa " yet incorporates enough elements of Afrikana to make it just a little bit special.

The threads of our Dutch-French ancestry are still very much alive and well in Africa and you can experience it at almost every charmingly delightful Guest House, in any charmingly delightful little village. Moreso, the farther away you travel from the city! And that, my lovelies, is ALSO why I want to visit Sutherland!

Of course, there was a new design in here somewhere! Oh, here it is!

A perfect stash-buster project, only eight short rounds. Works up super quick too!

A versatile little Puff-based Hexie that you can join -as -you -go to make any sized project from a sweet baby blanket to a full-sized bedspread! I used Puffs because they reminded me of snowballs.☃

Omit the last three rounds, make two identical pieces, sew them together ( but leave a little gap ), add a bit of stuffing and a handy loop and you have a frosty-flake hanging ornament for your Christmas Tree! Or a Sutherland Starflake Pincushion! 😃

Change the colours to suit your Holiday theme or your mood! Most of all, have fun!

There is a full Video Guide, so you can’t go wrong!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to one an All!

🎄🎅🎄

 ❤ Jen xxx

FIND THE FREE PDF DOWNLOAD HERE!

African Summer Snowflake Flower

Believe it or not but we DO have snow in South Africa. Lots of it falls in certain areas during our coldest months ( June to September ).When I first arrived in Cape Town, via a 26hr train journey with my three boys in tow, we passed ( in mid-June ) through the tunnels of the snowbound mountains that flank the   Hex River Valley. Not just frosting atop the jagged peaks of those majestic, looming Hex Mountains, but REAL snow, opaque, lush and folded like the cape hem of a gigantic Snow Witch Queen... trailing into the valley between vineyards, tiny white cottages and rows of Oak trees then stark and barren. Hex, in Afrikaans, means Witch... you can read the entire story here!

Of course, all this Winter Wonderland is completely lost to us during the Traditional Holiday Season which includes Christmas or Yule and of course Hannuka. Mind you, it snowed in The Drakensberg Mountains ( the Dragon Mountains ) in October and again just last last week, technically, Summer!

Our celebrations on these special days:

a) BBQ's
b) Drinking lots of cold Beer ( the Men ), drinking iced Tea and Apple Cider ( the Women ), overindulging on Ice-Cream ( everybody! )
c) Living in the swimming pool
d) Sunblock from head to foot, sunglasses, sunhats while doing a, b, and c.

Mind you, we make an effort...there are bedecked Christmas Trees ( made in China, don't judge! ) surrounded by loads of  I've-been-a good-girl/boy gifts. There are baubles, and multi-coloured tinsel, bowls of "money" chocolates and brightly wrapped candies. We never forget the mistletoe. and traditional Christmas Pudding with pennies inside is pretty much written in stone.  Dads play Father Xmas, Moms play Mommy Xmas, there is always too much food, and dessert, like Sherry Trifle! The leftovers from the Christmas Feast will be served up for the next week as some very odd looking, yet inventive, lunches or light suppers. Once, my late Mom-in-Law served up such a lunch, between Christmas and New Year, and we all came down with mild food poisoning! It was hilarious, and she never lived it down.

Btw, I just love the story of the Christmas Spider!

But as usual, I digress!
I was in fact, trying to make something else, carefully following the pattern but then veered off somewhere when my concentration failed me. As it does. Everytime. All my designs are a result of not being able to follow patterns. I just don't like people telling me what to do! Ha!

And because we are in the Ho Ho Ho season, it's FREE!

I've called it African Summer Snowflake Flower.
It's a join as you go ( JAYGO ) design, only 6x Rounds, and works up really quickly! Of course, for you lovelies who are experiencing a pukka White Christmas, you can change colours to suit your climate ( or taste ).

I'm using bits and pieces of Stylecraft Special DK and Elle Yarns Family Knit DK.
Hook: 4mm
Terms: US
Skill: Easy peasy (not boring though). Beginners will win at this!

ROUND ONE ( lime -stylecraft special dk )
Work 6 x 2dctog into a Magic Ring. Make sure to close each 2dctog with a ch1. To close, sl st into closing ch1 of first 2dctog ( the 3rd one is the starting ch3 ). Fasten off.

ROUND TWO ( raspberry - stylecraft special dk )
Begin in any space between your 2dctog. *Work 2 x Puffs ( yo x 3, ch1 ), Turn your work, front facing away from you. Work 2 Puffs ( as before ) between the 2 Puffs you have just worked. Turn your work, facing you. Sl st between 2 Puffs, ch6, sl st back between same 2 Puffs. Sl st into top of 2nd Puff ( of the first two ) Ch4. Skip next 2dctog.*
Repeat * to * = 24 Puffs ( yo x 5, ch1 ), 6 ch4's, 6 ch6's. 6sl st ( not counting beg. and end of ch6 loops ) To close sl st into top of beginning Puff. Fasten off.

ROUND THREE ( coral - elle family knit dk )
Work a ch3 (= 1dc ) into any ch4 sp. Work 2 more dc's = 3dc's, into same ch4 sp.
*1dcfp over 2dctog ( rnd1). 3dc's back into same ch4 sp = 6dc's, 1dcfp.
Work a sl st into the top of the "2nd" Puff, and sl st again "over" to the next ch4. Work 3dc's into ch4 sp.*
Repeat * to * = 36 dc's, 6 dcfp's, 12 sl st's.
To close, sl st into beginning ch3. Fasten Off.

ROUND FOUR ( cream - stylecraft special dk )
Begin with a scfp over any dcfp. ch4. Work 1sc from back to front over the sl st at the base of the ch5 (rnd2). Ch4, 1scfp over next dcfp. Continue the sequence. = 12 ch4's, 6 sc's, 6 scfp's.
To close, sl st into 1st ch4. Do not fasten off.

ROUND FIVE

Ch2 (=1 hdc ) into ch4, 3 hdc's into same ch4 = 4 hdc's, *4 hdc's into next ch4. Ch1 behind the 6ch loop (rnd2), 4 hdc's into next ch4*
Repeat * to *. = 12 x 4hdc's, 8 x ch1's.To close, sl st into beginning ch2. Fasten Off.

ROUND SIX ( lime- stylecraft special dk ).
Work a sl st around any ch6 (rnd2), *ch6 and sl st back into ch6 (rnd2). 1sc into the 2 back loops of next 8 stitches. Sl st into next ch6 (rnd2).*
Repeat * to * = 6 x ch6's, 48sc's into the 2 back loops of hdc's  (rnd5).

To join as you go, you will need to cut a length from your working yarn.
The centre is 4 x 3trtog worked into space between the 8sc's in the finishing round and joined together in the centre ( tops of the 4x 3togs ).

The Video will be very useful throughout!

You can also DOWNLOAD THE PDF PATTERN HERE!

Wishing you all a lovely week with lots of special hooky time!
See you in Crochetland! ❤❤❤

Love, Jen.
xxx