Liebster Award!

Last week I was awarded a Liebster by the ebullient and vivacious Beatrix Snyman of Btrix Dsigns. Thank you so much Beatrix, I really miss connecting with you over a cup of coffee and a ball of yarn! I also miss seeing your sales skills in action, no-one I know can close a deal quite in the way you do! Somehow I always spent more money than intended with you around, but I ended up loving the yarn so much, it didn't matter you rascal! In fact, the Istanbul inspired blanket published in Simply Crochet is the result of one such dealing between Beatrix and I. To any South African readers - if you live near Beatrix in South Africa and you haven't met her yet (whether to buy yarn or to attend a workshop) you are losing out! 

1. Why did you start a blog and what do you mainly blog about?  Blogging to me is a hobby as much as crocheting is. I blog to stay connected with other bloggers and observe patterns and trends with regard to craft and social media alike. I blog about crocheting and living life as a global nomad.

2. Did you realize that crochet is becoming the new black? Why do you think it is becoming so popular? Li Edelkoort in Trend Tablet nailed it when she spoke about crocheting, knitting and other textiles "In reaction to our virtual existence, we will need more real emotions and unknown surprising scenarios: tactility and dimension to compensate the flat screens in our lives, to give pleasure to our fingers."

3. What is your biggest reason for crocheting/knitting? Connecting with people and hearing, seeing their stories as told through craft.

4. Do you prefer working from a pattern or do you make up your own pattern as you go? Why? I do one of three things - design my own simple pattern; adapt an existing pattern or use an existing pattern. I always learn new techniques and manipulate yarn in either one of these three scenarios.

5. Who is your favorite crochet/knitting designer. Why? I really prefer the work by all the unknown women of Africa and Asia - those who produce the visions of designers such as Sophie Digard and Anne Claire Petit. These women are hugely talented and almost no one is telling their stories!

6. What is your favorite fiber to work with? Why? Any natural plant fibers because it is most suitable to the climate in the Middle East and South East Asia. I have a great passion for raw, natural materials opposed to man made ones.

7. Which is your favorite yarn brand and why? I have a great love affair with Vinnis Nikkim, Bambi and Serina as well as Colours of Grace. These yarns define my style and everything I make in either of these stand head and shoulders above any other yarns I use.

8. In short, give an overview of your craft journey since it started. One word: hooked!

9. I assume you have a few WIP’s. Who doesn’t? So what inspired your current WIP’s? Yes, name all of them! Ah, never assume! I work on one project at a time and at this very moment I do not have a single WIP to my name since I am awaiting delivery of a special hand dyed yarn order to start a special project!

10. Where is the most unexpected place you ever crochet/knitted?  I have enjoyed hooking in many interesting places - from the overnight train between Penang and Bangkok to the beach in Teluk Bahang National Park overlooking a village build in the ocean. I also kept yarn and a hook in my lap whilst driving in the very slow moving Penang traffic, crocheting a few rows or rounds at red traffic lights or when stuck in traffic.

11. Which project/design/pattern was your biggest challenge up to now and why?  The Barcelona jacket/bolero because it is a poorly written pattern and I am also not an expert in making wearables, meaning I couldn't improvise!

The Questions for my nominees:
1. Animal fiber, plant fiber or other fiber? 

2. Variegated or solid?

3. Colours or textures?

4. Pattern or plain?

5. How do you organise your stash?

6. Favourite projects to make?
7. How many WIPs are you working on?

8. Where is your favourite hooky place?
9. What three words best describe you?
10. Which travelling destination is on top of your bucket list?

My nominees are:

Andree, About Crochet

Sylvia, Tama Pollo

Gamze, Vintage Peony
Jeszizsu, Teszek-Veszek-Vacakolok

Ingrid, Little Birdy

Chrissie, Chrissie Crafts

Congratulations, you have just been awarded a Liebster!

Simply Crochet Issue 23

"Issue 23 officially goes on sale tomorrow, so we thought we'd treat you to one last preview. This stunning blanket was designed by Magda de Lange. Inspired by her travels to Istanbul, the mood reflects the energy and colours of the city. We're captivated."   - Simply Crochet Facebook Page

Would you like to hook this blanket?

Simply buy the Magazine!

Simply Crochet Magazine Digital Version

Thank you Tanya Kalyan and the team for inviting me to contribute to your stunning magazine and thank you for being very friendly, professional people throughout this project.



The Inspiration/Design Process - links below
Istanbul Inspiration
Process of Choosing Colours
Choosing the Yarn

The Yarn -  links below:
34x50gr Colours of Grace Hand Dyed Aran Cotton Available locally in South Africa from Beatrix Snyman and locally as well as internationally from Hilda Steyn
Colours used to create this blanket: Lime Light, Melon, Orange, Moss, Grey, Lilac, Pink dust, Jade, Denim, Baby Blue, Olive, Sand, Champagne, Mustard, Candy, Mudpie (4 balls of this brown), two balls each of all the others.

  

On top of the World!

Mom, as seen through the eyes of The Teen on paint.net

Yeehaw I am on top of the world!

Well, first of all we are still living in a glass enclosed tower with magnificent views over the city and the ocean.  I reckon we will be hauled up in a hotel for at at least another 2 and a half months.  It is quite a large apartment with plenty of space for the 4 of us and from our view and viewpoint we are on top of the world.

Secondly,  in Qatar copper networks have been replaced with fibre optic and we now have a choice of 10mbps, 50mbps or 100mbps (will you believe this!) fibre optic internet in our homes. Installation is the day after application. Pity the hotel is still providing slow internet.

Thirdly, The Teen scored the highest level and mark possible for her English exams last week and she was offered a place at one of only 4 schools functioning under the Outstanding Schools Initiative started by Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned and implemented by the Supreme Education Council here in Qatar. It is back to the MYP/IB curriculum for her and we are all on top of the world, especially since waiting lists for schools are often up to 2 years here.

Last, but not least, I have just finished a throw in 5 days - hook in one hand, muscle ointment in the other. Wow, there was some furious crocheting involved, but tomorrow the couriers will arrive to whisk it away and I will be hanging out in the pool to soothe my aching muscles. It is a secret project, one I will be telling you about later, but for now I can say it is gorgeous.

When an idea for a new colour palette formed in my mind many months ago, I never realised how satisfying the whole process from selecting colours to executing the project was going to be.  I bought the yarn in Africa, hooked the project in Asia and the final destination for the item is Europe from where it will be shared with the whole world!  I had this idea to capture two of my favourite cities, Paris and Istanbul, in a project. When I was asked to design and hook something, I couldn't be happier that I decided to pack this yarn in my son's suitcase in stead of leaving it to sail the 7 seas in a container later. 

I will explain the process of choosing colours in a few pictures below:

Photo: Désaccord blog

The first time I visited the Désaccord blog, I was smitten by the colours in every single picture. I selected a few of the photos from the blog and uploaded it to some online sites that create palettes from pictures in order to get an idea of all the colours involved in the complete image opposed to just looking at the crocheted and knitted items.

Below are palettes generated by Palette FX and Colr, pictures from the Désaccord blog:

I decided to put mood boards together (see previous posting) to capture my idea of a woman working and living in cities such as Paris and Istanbul.  What would her wardrobe and space look like?

I  forwarded these mood boards to crochet guru Beatrix who sells hand dyed yarns in South Africa (See posting about yarn) and she put the colours together for me from the Colours of Grace collection. I approved and paid. Below are some of the colours:

I had the time of my life working with this yarn and am dying to share the completed item with you - but alas, we will have to wait!  I am just very glad that there are a teeny weeny bit of each colour left over, I plan to turn these into brooches over the next few days and will at least be able to show you those. 

Hope you are enjoying your short winter holidays (Southern Hemisphere) and loooooong summer holidays (Northern Hemisphere)

xxxxx

A week in the life of a global citizen

10 ply aran cotton vs no 8 embroidery thread - such entirely different tactile experiences!

Hello! We have just entered the holy month of Ramadan (fasting from dawn until sunset) here in Doha and even though I am well acquainted with customs surrounding this month, traditions differ significantly across Muslim countries and Islamic societies. In the Gulf, non-Muslim expats have to adhere to local practices even though we are not fasting per se. It is not acceptable to eat, drink, smoke or even take medicine in public during the day and therefore restaurants, fast food outlets and cafes are all closed bar one F&B outlet in each of the hotels. Live music during the day, swearing at all times and acting like a loon is off-limits during this month of piety and  peace.

The practicalities of how Doha functions to accommodate this month, is certainly new to me. Malls, shops, banks and more are now open for about 5 hours in the morning and then close between 1 in the afternoon and 8 in the evening. From 8/9pm - 1/2am, it is business as usual, meaning it is entirely plausible to visit any of the museums or government departments or malls or even banks after midnight!  I love this month as it is also a time for strengthening ties with community. We will be visiting Ramadan tents and share in Iftar feasts with locals for the next 29 days. 

Colours of Grace Aran cotton, hand dyed

Since going anywhere in the afternoon and early evening is off-limits and the children are on their summer school holiday break from next week, I have a fair amount of time on my hands in which to indulge in reading and crocheting. I am still busy with the hexagon blanket and have finished more than 200 motifs so far. I had to put the project aside for a week though (something I don't easily do since I work on one crochet project at a time) and designed a new square for a secret project, meaning I started and frogged and pondered and re-started more than 30 efforts before I was happy with a design. I can't wait to be kicking off with that project, since I will finally get the chance to use my Colours of Grace 10 ply Aran cotton! The colours are gorgeous and working with a thicker thread is most enjoyable. It will be a piece to die for, and you will have the benefit of trying out a new pattern!

I do have an obsession with army, gold, old gold and chartreuse colours at the moment! I might just order Vinnis Serina in Army for a blanket soon, it will be perfect for a lacy motif.

The French/spool knitting necklace getting longer and longer.  I cannot wait to finish this, and work on it when my hands get tired from too much crocheting.

Grrr I honestly cannot bare the feeling of acrylic yarns, but this ball of yarn came in handy for trying out different motifs - it can handle getting frogged a few times. It is fascinating though, how an ordinary motif is transformed into something really special depending on yarn and colour.  The minute I tried these motifs in hand dyed cotton, it became something else altogether!

I have long since been fascinated by a country that is so unique that it can neither be reduced to East nor West, but has indeed been shaped by both. I am hoping this read will not disappoint!  I share a special friendship with a fellow researcher who works at the Russian State University and owe it to her to learn more about a society she was critically analyzing during our post grad studies.  I hope we get the chance in future to become research partners yet again, neither one of us are afraid of exploring progressive, interdisciplinary approaches.

Once in Kuala Lumpur I sat down at a candy store and watched the artisan create these wonderful candies.  It is a beautiful, mesmerizing process and I was in 7 heavens when I stumbled across Spanish chain Papabubble here in Doha.

Last week, a group of adults involved in global change, hosted an online, real time discussion among 14-17 year old Teens representing many different societies across the globe. We connected countries, cultures and individuals through one shared goal: to create memorable global, nurturing dialogues in order to foster learning and develop intercultural understanding.  It led to interesting discourse and one we will repeat soon with a 12-14 year old group.  I am so glad to be living life as a global citizen again as it provides me with opportunities that would otherwise not have been possible. I love connecting people and making a difference on an international level. Enjoy the rest of your week, I hope it is an equally interesting one with lots of fun!

Colours of Grace

I am highly interested in the lives and backgrounds of people creating art and craft as they all have a fascinating story to tell through the works they create. I am especially drawn to those who create as a form of therapy or emancipation as it adds an emotional connection to the sensory experience.

Melani, the force behind the sumptuous Colours of Grace  hand dyed aran weight cotton is no exception. Deeply religious, she turned to prayer when gripped in the fog of depression. The answer to her prayers was to turn her hand to a craft that has been around for thousands of years. Spinning. As a medical technologist by profession, Melani had no background in spinning. She located not only two spinning wheels within a week, but also found a master spinner to teach her. Soon she was transforming raw fiber into spun yarn, telling stories through colour (she hand dyes the cotton) and texture. 

Colours of Grace became Melani's living memory. Two days before the launch of the (then differently named) yarn, she changed the name to Colours of Grace after a revelation, honouring the biblical women Hannah (DK) and Magdalene (aran) who both received grace in answer to prayer. All of the yarn is produced by Melani, Elsabe (her mother in law) and Silent (an assistant originally from Zimbabwe).  

The yarn is locally (South Africa) available via the Colours of Grace Facebook page, as well as from independent distributors. I bought 34 x 50gr balls from another person with a big heart, Beatrix Snyman (Blog Btrix Dsigns and also available via her Facebook Page).  I forwarded Beatrix my mood boards and she put together the yarn choices for me.  Beatrix has an excellent understanding of colour and I love connecting with her since we share similar outlooks on life, having both lived global lives for extended periods. 

Below is the latest Colours of Grace colour chart - I bought a selection of colours from the current as well as previous colour range.  The yarn is a perfect match to my mood-boards and my own ideas of romantic Istanbul and Paris.  I absolutely love the slightly mottled effect and am struggling to keep my hands off the yarn (it is going into the container destined for Qatar!)

Correction - I sneaked the yarn into my son's suitcase and when Simply Crochet magazine approached me for a design/article to be published in Issue 23, my fingers naturally reached for this amazing yarn and I had the time of my life making the Milla Magic throw.

PS For international orders: Hilda Steyn via Yarn in a Barn  

 

I will be back soon to tell you about my 6 balls of cowgirlsblues merino wool, 5 balls of Pierrot French linen, 21 balls of a newly launched Imagine hand dyed bamboo/cotton mix, 27 balls of Vinnis Bambi and 6 balls of African Expressions Soul purchases.
Fiber artists in South Africa are at long last spoilt for choice!