44 Stanley and a Vessel

Vessel (our walls are painted a silvery grey in case you wonder what happened to the brightness in these photos) 

Yarn: Elle Cotton On Seriously Chunky in Natural, Kismet Strawberries and Cream in Charcoal Colour 8, Vinnis Nikkim in 3 different colourways

Hooksize: 6,5mm on 3 different yarns throughout

Pattern: Own, bottom of pot in single stitches, neck in treble crochet

Hello!  This is a glimpse of what I have been busy over the past few days.  I am also still working on the Amanda Perkins triangles, but need to visit Maryna, my yarn lady, for a big Vinnis shop to supplement some of the colours again. I have hooked two vessels so far and figured out a grand plan for retaining the shapes of my vessels that does not involve glue or stiffener at all - just give me another week or two and I will share the idea. Woop woop, I am excited since this idea might take my hooky passion in different directions should it turn out the way I envisage!

Spring has also sprung - these are blossoms from our plum tree.  We ave been eating pecan nuts and avocados from our trees throughout winter too.  Unfortunately the figs from last season were full of icky worms, no idea what will happen to the fruit this year.  Grrr I don't do worms!

We enjoy the urban culture offered by the different markets and precincts in Johannesburg (also known locally as Jozi, Jo'burg or the City of Gold). Last weekend we spent time at 44 Stanley, which consists out of 25 speciality boutiques, studios, cafes and rare bookshops. What a great place and space! The vibe is reminiscent of urban, industrial and historical whilst still being contemporary and cool. The buildings were once a series of industrial 1930's building, occupied by the Automobile Association and later a few hundred squatters who almost completely vandalized the buildings. I am just glad that property developers saved these buildings and left behind not only great shopping but also a foodie haven!

 Cheers! The zebra watering can (above left) is now mine!

Let's not say too much about my ooooops blogger moment - I deleted spam messages when I deleted the comments of my previous few postings by mistake :-(  Apologies of yours were one of those, I deleted more than 50 comments in one stupid moment.

Single Crochet Skinny Scarf

Hello!  I had a great time hooking this looooong skinny scarf over the past three days. I hooked it as a gift for a friend and then . . .  fell in love with it. Oops, I feel so guilty but it really livens up my wardrobe and I have decided to keeping it.  The good news is that I have already started a new scarf with a dotty pattern for my friend. Yay, I have been waiting for the right project to come along so that I could finally try out the "Squaring the Circle" pattern in US Treble crochet. 

I love how this scarf and my printed tights liven up a winter's day!

Skinny Scarf Pattern

To begin: chain 350

Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc in each of the next 348 chs, ch 1 (to turn) (349 sc)

Next few rows depending on the required width as per personal preference: sc in each sc across, then ch 1 to turn (349 sc). This scarf consists of 12 rows of sc

Edging: sc in 1st stitch. Then * sc, hdc, sc in next sc to form small shell. Skip next sc * Repeat between * The shell is thus hooked in every second sc of the previous row.

Then: Turn the scarf and crochet one row sc in the foundation row.

Repeat the edging.

Hook Size: 5mm

Yarn: 

Vinnis Nikkim in various colours

Vinnis Bambi in Seagreen

Kismet Strawberries and Cream in Charcoal Colour 8. This yarn is made of 50% recycled cotton and 50% Acrylic and is available in beautiful muted, chalky colours.  It splits quite badly though and is not a yarn I will use to hook larger projects with. 

Spring will sprung soon here in South Africa. We experienced a mild winter this year but after a harsh one last year nobody is complaining!  I love summer and am glad to see the seasonal changes kicking in. Yay, I cannot wait to enjoy numerous picnics and open air cinema again.

xxxxx