Thank You

The Women of the Afghanistan War

Thank you to everybody who takes an interest in my blog and crochet projects!  It is highly appreciated, my blog is certainly not a little corner of the web I created for myself, but it is a space that allows me to connect with other crocheters on a level that transcends geographical barriers.

To find out why an image such as the above of women in Kandahar, Afghanistan is an example of what crocheting means to me, be sure to visit the lovely Little Things Blogged Blog by Tanya who interviewed me for her Untangling Yarn series of articles.  Thank you for including me in your wonderful series Tanya!

On an academic/professional level I have been itching to do a visual- as well as discourse analysis of the poignant image by Majid Saeedi depicting women attending a crocheting workshop by the Malaysian NGO Mercy and will do so as soon as I receive permission from Saeedi to do so. 

Enjoy your weekend, we are still very busy with our new lives here in Doha, Qatar and I barely have time to blog and crochet at the moment, let alone blog hop. I am hoping for quieter times soon, but first we are off to explore even more of what this society has to offer.  

xxxx

The mud and dust, the soil and sands of Africa

Yarn Elle Cotton On DK print 051 Ash, Photo of Rhino by Christine & Michel Denis Huot

Hello!  The kids and I arrived in Doha with a suitcase and one piece of cabin luggage each. We are light travelers and since I am the boss did the packing, I distributed 4 kg yarn between the suitcases before I even considered how many pairs of shoes we have space for. 

I have just started working on a new blanket using my lovely yarn from South Africa. I initially planned a colour palette in rich reds and purples, but I reconsidered and settled on a palette of white, beige, taupe, grey and coal in 25 different shades, featuring no less than 9 different types of yarns! The palette is stunning, inspired by the mud and dust, the soil and sands of Mother Africa.

Images: Pinterest Raw Rustic

When I think of my childhood, vivid images of digging my hands through the cool earth, sinking my feet into the soft soil, boring with my big toe through the cracks of dried mud prevail. The picture of a White Rhino charging through dusty plains, cemented the idea for using a palette that represents the Mother Continent.

I am deviating from the initial idea and pattern, but decided to do a separate posting later in which I will be discussing crocheting techniques and personal likes/dislikes. 

Pattern: Hexagon from loopknits

Hook size: 5mm

YARN:

Vinnis Colours Bambi Bamboo/Cotton mix in White, Natural, Clouds and Midnight

Vinnis Nikkim Colours Cotton in Blue-Grey, Aluminium, Steel Grey and Midnight

Vinnis Serina Bamboo in Natural and Silver

Imagine Bamboo/Cotton mix by I Love Yarn  in Windswept, Abyss and Monet

Elle Premier Mercerised Cotton in Grey and Taupe

Elle Rustica Wool/Acrylic/Tweed mix in Charcoal, Aran and Natural

Elle Marco Cotton/Tweed/Wool/Acrylic/Nylon mix in Charcoal and Aran 

Elle Cotton On in Ash

Elle Pure Gold Acrylic in Pepper, Ivory, Silver and Titanium 

All the yarn is available from I Love Yarn in South Africa. They also ship internationally.

Thank you for visiting and enjoy the rest of your week!

Assalamu Alaykum!

We now live in Doha, Qatar and wow, does it feel good to be back in Asia and the Middle East again! 

We arrived a week ago and life has since been a whirlwind of frenzied activity. We are indulging in Asian cuisine once more and are enjoying pancakes with crispy Peking duck, laksa, chicken satay, manakeesh, dried and chocolate covered fruit and nuts, Lebanese nougat and malban, Umm Ali, shish tawook and shawarma. One of our favourite spaces at the moment is Souq Waqif. The Souq is a popular and bustling destination, it offers a vibrant shopping scene, many art galleries and a multitude of atmospheric restaurants and cafes.

Souq Waqif literally translates to "the standing market". 

These police men on horseback is dressed to suit the traditional environment.

Lanterns at the Souq photographed from below. 

West Bay Doha -  Photo by Daniel Cheong

This is home, we are living on the 14th floor of a serviced hotel apartment in the Diplomatic Area. West Bay is a newly developed neighborhood and is considered one of the most prominent districts in Doha. Oh I am enjoying the pampering and luxuries that accompanies this lifestyle for a change. Our apartment boasts floor to ceiling windows with fabulous ocean views. A free shuttle service was launched to reduce traffic in the area, otherwise taxis or limo drivers are freely available. I really love, love, love being back in a city which never sleeps. It is fantastic to be able to step out any time of the day and night without having to worry about safety every step of the way. The speed and efficiency of services from the beautician at the nail bar to the shop assistants are a reminder yet again about why Asia holds the edge over Africa. 

I have, however, not forgotten about Africa and will be posting about my blanket inspired by African Mud, Soil and Sand soon. I am using 25 shades in 9 different yarns and it is a project that will keep me busy for many weeks, possibly months to come.

It is Thursday today, meaning the end of the week in the Middle East. We are off to enjoy dinner with people I actually met in South Africa prior to relocating to Qatar. They arrived some 3 weeks ago. Tomorrow we will enjoy lunch with an Egyptian family. Have a great weekend! 

xxxx

Imagine

Imagine a yarn shop that is a haven for savvy shoppers with discerning taste.

Imagine such a shop belonging to two yarn whisperers who are not only able to match the right yarn to the right project, but who inspire local knitters and crocheters to instinctively know what  yarn wants to become through holding, looking, smelling, touching and listening to it.

Imagine being able to purchase top South African produced plant and animal fibers along global brands such as Rowan and Pierrot. 

Imagine attending various crochet workshops or joining in for a craft share, a cup of great coffee and a piece of cake that is almost too nice to slice.

This is "I Love Yarn" and imagine my luck as I live less than 2 km away from this shop located in the leafy suburb of Baileys Muckleneuk in Pretoria, South Africa.

Imagine, just imagine Stephni and Elaine decide to hand dye and hand ball their own label.

They did!  They imagined a wide range of colours to inspire knitters and crocheters in a fiber that can be used for a plethora of projects.  This is IMAGINE, a 70% bamboo-30% cotton yarn that is hand dyed and hand balled with the assistance of previously disadvantaged South African women. 

IMAGINE just what will be hanging from my hooks at some point!

I bought 21 skeins in colours Guava, French Affair, Butterscotch, Mustard, Windswept, Abyss and Granite.

But first I am making their heirloom blanket (available as a kit from their shop) in my own preferred shades of coal, cement, mud and milk. I bought the kit a month ago and imagine my patience as I will only start working on it next month. 

Lovely crocheted items on display in the shop

 

Where can I find I Love Yarn?

Facebook Page

Website

Pinterest

A blast from the past!

FABULOUS FRENCH KNITTING

Made by my dad 60 years ago when he was a 10 year old kid in Primary School!

Don't you just love it?

The Tween, Teen and I are having a blast in our store room today! 

I just love how different items fascinate me during different stages of my life. I have had all of these items in storage crates for over 20 years and all of a sudden I have the need to surround me with it on a daily basis.

I will need to figure out how and where to display the Maize Sacks and French Knitting. For some reason up-cycling does not inspire me at the moment, I quite like looking at the raw product and am thinking it should stay like this. Putting it in frames for example will not fit with the raw, industrial feel of our home.  I also do not want to bring a scissor near the sacks - maybe 10 years ago cushions would have been a great idea. Now I am not so sure that it would be a good idea to cut up a piece of vintage cloth.

 

VINTAGE MAIZE SACKS 

These beautiful sacks (more than 50 years old) are from South Africa and given to me by my mom.