Coffee Time!

Placemat in Vinnis Nikkim 100% Cotton hooked with 6,5mm rather than the recommended 4mm

 

 Ethiopian Coffee at Market on Main, Johannesburg

A few places to relax with a coffee in Johannesburg

 

 

 

 

Have a great week!

xxxx

Zoned out!

A big hello from South Africa! Kaleidoscopes create an astounding spectrum of colour in a symmetrical form. I do have to admit though that I feel like Kylie Sven Opossum (of Fantastic Mr Fox's fame) when he gets zoned out and his eyes turn into comical swirls, from this overload of kaleidoscopic hooky colour!  

I am using 8 different colours and this is one of those projects that takes forever to put together.  It is a time consuming exercise from the frequent changing of colours to the volume of threads to work away. I cannot wait to see the end result even though it is still a few weeks away as I need to buy another round of yarn in order to hook many more triangles.  Each of the triangles measures 14cm per side. 

I am joining the triangles on the wrong side with a slip stitch and it turns out to be a very neat way of joining - the downside is the numerous ends to weave in  . . .  

 

Once I joined the six triangles, I also hook a connector from the outside in where the gap is left. I am deviating from Amanda's pattern and am connecting the triangles with two US triple crochet stitches in each gap to create a simple flower connector.

 

I have been neglecting my housekeeping duties in lieu of hooky time this week, but I am starting to feel crunch underfoot from all the dried leaves that enters the house with the kids and cats in tow. Meh! I am unsure though whether I am in the mood to vacuum the entire Pigtails Palace or whether I will be concentrating my efforts to selected areas only.  I am thinking of worrying only about the kitchen floor and the area around my chair which is strewn with numerous cotton yarn threads.  Have a great day!

xxxxx

Triangular Weeks and Gourmet Weekends

 

Project: A Throw 

I also considered a shawl, a scarf, potholders and place mats but decided to make this a longer term project and keep on hooking until I have enough triangles for a most beautiful throw! These triangles remind me of our 8 years living in the Middle East.

48 Triangular Motifs finished, quite a substantial number still to complete

Pattern from Madder Triangles by the talented Amanda Perkins

Yarn: Vinnis Nikkim of course (but I am already planning the next project in  Vinnis Bambi)

Hook size: 4mm

 

Meanwhile, we spend our weekends visiting and enjoying Gourmet Food Markets and Food Festivals, Down to Earth Farm Feasts and Secret Eats. It is so exciting to be part of the Secret Eats group as we never know where the next venue will be and what the menu will look like.

Last weekend we visited an urban neighborhood Maboneng Precinct in East Johannesburg and had a great time at Market On Main, a food and design market hosted in a refurbished old warehouse. Here are a few snapshots taken at the market:

Enjoy your weekend and thanks for stopping by!

xxxxx

Delphine Cowl

Pattern: Delphine by Amanda Perkins from her book Desirable Crochet Motifs, Volume 1, 2008 to 2010 available on Ravelry

Yarn: Vinnis Serina in colour Storm

Hooksize: 3,75 mm

I hooked 14 flowers to create a lightweight cowl for Spring/Autumn weather

 Hello!  A thunderstorm is rolling in and I am feeling happy since I just love rainy seasons and it has been unseasonably hot and dry until now.  I will therefore wrap up this posting since we live in an area that also suffers from severe electrical storms.  We have had to surge protect all our appliances after we donated a few wi-fi modems to the weather last year, phew!! I am off to the kitchen now - we are eating Singapore Laksa tonight yum.  I am looking forward to enjoying a craft beer whilst cooking up a storm - pun intended ;-)

Have a great week, I am back to hooking my triangles after a splurge at the yarn store earlier today - yay!  See you soon again xxxx

Teen Style

Yarn: Vinnis Serina, a 100% luxurious bamboo yarn with a rich lustre and a natural drape. It is hand dyed - colour "Storm" and I used about 140gr 

Hooksize: 3,75mm

Pattern: Drops 82-6 from Drops Design in size Medium

 

Yay, I got to hook something in my beloved Vinnis yarn again!  No matter how many other different yarns I try out, I simply love using Vinnis more than anything else.  It is luxurious and the colourways are just right up my alley.  I do not like hues and shades and Vinnis feed my obsession with tones and tints just beautifully.  By the way, take a look at the article The Difference Between a Hue, Tint, Shade and Tone for more on colours. 

The entire family also favour wearing and dressing the house in neutral colours, a perfect antithesis to our colourful lifestyle!  Neutrals are perfect for travelling and can always be spruced up with a few interesting accessories.  The below images provide a glimpse of The Teen's current likes in life and can be found on two of my Pinterest accounts namely MadameX and Raw Rustic.  Some of the items are available from the fabulous Canadian Mandula. Oh man, if ever I take a trip to Canada, it will include a spree at this store! 

The Teen selected her own pattern and yarn and I hooked the top over two evenings.  I gave her numerous choices for the pattern, but she wanted something simple that she could wear with her jeans and boots, over her ballet leotard or to the pool.  I am quite impressed by how it turned out as the pattern on the Drops Design website looked quite 80's - grrrrr.

Have a great weekend and a big hello to all my new followers!

xxxxx

 

 

Spotty Dotty Cushion for Baby Ryder

Cushion for Baby Ryder to accompany the Keep Calm and Cuddle Me blanket

Yarn: Elle Rustica DK

Hooksize: 5mm

Pattern Front:  Squaring the Treble Circle / Spotty Dotty

Pattern Back: Square in hdc

Border:  Bobble Border by Dover & Madden 

Keep Calm and Cuddle Me Blanket blogged about here

This is all for now folks!  I am crawling back into my hooky corner to finish a little something for The Teen xxxx

Stirring a pot of green dye

Reminder to self: wear gloves next time!

From white/natural to green

Yarn: Vinnis Nikkim Colours, bought in these colours and will now be used to create new items with the items I dyed!

A South Korean search portal - Blog Naver has been sending a substantial number of visitors to my blog over the past year.  They have thus far "cloned" 

- one of my own projects - the Weekend in Sweden Throw
- a piece of crochet I picked up from a Thrift store (which has co-incidentally just seen the inside of the above dye pot!); and 
- one of the Teen's designs.  

Since they reference my blog and I don't sell my work, I am not objecting and the Teen feels quite flattered.  She was only 11 years old when she designed her bunny.  

Take a look:

My thrift store find and photo, blogged about here: 

The South Korean version, posted here

The Teen's Bunny, designed by herself and blogged about here and here

The South Korean Version, posted here

Have a great week - I will let you know how I utilised my newly green pieces once I have decided what to do with it.  Cheers!