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!

African Flower Tutorial

Handbag - still without lining and handles

Yarn: Elle Premier 100% cotton, DK, Hook size 3

The African Flower: Pattern

1. Chain 5 and close circle

2. Chain 3 (first dc), 1 dc, ch1, 2dc, ch1, 2dc and repeat until 6 clusters of 2dc each with ch1 between each cluster. Close with ss

3. Join new colour, ch3 to the right of the join (first dc). 1dc in same space as ch3. Ch1, 2dc in same space

4. Into next ch1 space from previous round: 2dc, ch1, 2dc. Repeat (6 sets) and close with ss. Don't join a new colour as this round and the next one will create the flower petal - unless of course you prefer it slightly different to this

5. Slip into space created by ch and ch3 (first dc)
6. 6dc into same space (cluster of 7)
7. 7dc into each space and close
8. Join new colour and insert hook into first ch space

9. Sc into each dc of previous round (7) and then 1dc.  This dc will appear long but will be creating the petal shape
10. Repeat until whole flower has a border of 7sc, 1dc
11. Join new colour, 4sc and then ch1 and 1sc in same space (you are in the middle of the petal and the sc, ch1, sc will create on of the corners of the hexagon). This round is originally hooked with dc but I prefer the look of the sc.
12. Continue sc until you reach the middle of the next petal once again and sc, ch1, sc.  Repeat and close.

The completed African flower (above) and when stitched together (below)

For a more detailed tutorial, head over to Heidi Bears. Cheers!

Handbag Orgy!

Handbag orgy definitely describes how I view the 5 bags I whipped up over the past month! Wow, I have a weakness for anything round in the land of hooky.  I hooked this specific bag during the past week and it is ready to be lined, zipped and handled.  I am stumped though as to exactly how I should be handling the erm handles. Any ideas?

I bought a pair of Bamboo handles, 100% round and smooth that I intend to use on the tiny hexagon bag.  I could always pick up another pair and use it on this bag too. I prefer bamboo handles to be smooth - I really REALLY do not like the ones with the knots and prefer all my handles as clean looking as possible but mimicking the shape of the bag or the structure in some way. 

I also bought a couple of meters of clear, translucent tube - the type that is used in fish-tanks - that I am using on another stripey bag.  I need to line, zip and handle three bags and wished I had planned them better.  Anyhow, that is what tailors are there for!

See how great my scarf and blouse look with the bag. The outfit is completed with a pair of Aldo wedges, white linen pants and a hat. I am ready for summer in the Southern Hemisphere!

I am thinking that the lining should also form an extension of the "wand/sides" of the bag and that it will get a zip.  It is safer roaming the streets with bags that close properly. I squashed the sides [above], but after assembling, one should only see the round discs.  Do I use some sort of boning to keep the shape?

 I love these silver earrings [above] I picked up from a coffee shop/trinket shop last week. I also love my new straw and linen hat [below]. These will go great with my summer wardrobe!

It is Friday again, we are off to diner at a Turkish restaurant tonight, tomorrow we are digging our heels in the sand, tucking into seafood at a local Seafood Beach Restaurant.  Bag Orgy, Food Porn, such is the life of a Hooker!  Cheers, enjoy your weekends wherever in the world you are!

Colourful Coasters

Wow, what a busy week.  Driving the Teen to ballet classes 4 times a week is taking chunks out of my day, but on the other hand, it allows me a full hour of hooky time.  I used the time this week to hook another doily [as per previous posting, only bigger] and also 12 coasters that will just go along quite nicely with Moroccan, Indian or Turkish tea glasses!  I hooked these with hook size 3 and used Elle Premier Cotton, Double Knit.

This is actually a vintage pattern that has been reworked and is doing the rounds on the internet at the moment.  It resembles the Yvestown Flower but this one has 10 petals, 2 more than the Yvestown flower and having hooked both I can confirm that I definitely like this one more.

Hello also to all my new followers!  To say thank you, I will try and hook patterns from your blogs over time.  Hello then today to teszek-veszek-vacakolok on whose blog I found this coaster pattern.  Thank you for the pattern!  Just switch on Google translate if you haven't quite mastered Hungarian yet, take a look at her hand drawn pattern and away you go!  Easy peasy. You definitely want to be scrolling through her blog to see all of her fabulous work and patterns.

Have a great weekend. Cheers!

Doily Time!

I love watching Arab and Persian waiters perform the ritual of pouring a glass of mint tea.  They pour the tea into small glasses from a certain distance, an act that mesmerises me and I really enjoy the bit of conversation to be had with the waiters after tea is served.  A few years ago The Husband bartered for an antique silver teapot at a traditional souk in Marrakesh and when I saw this Elle Premier 100% cotton in grey, I simply itched to hook a doily for my tea tray.  You can find the pattern for the doily on the blog of Karen Klarbaecks, she hooked two and joined them together to create stunning potholders. I edged the grey in the same Elle Premier cotton - colour "leaf".  I also hooked 12 coasters in a few vibrant colours and will show those off soon.  Have a great weekend!

Works in Progress and the Old Age Home

Wow I just realised that I rarely work on more than one project at a time and that I took up a second project yesterday simply because I ran out of yarn for my current WIP.  Expats absorb bits and pieces from all the different cultures they live in and I mentioned before that Penang in Malaysia resort around a saving culture and not a consumer driven one.  Our family now shop, live and consume /save similar to the average Penangite in Malaysia even though we have left the country. That surely has to be the reason why I only work on one project at a time and see it through to the end - no stashing of projects. Below I will post sneak peeks to the two projects - the one is a stripey handbag hooked in Elle Premier and the second project is an afghan for a single bed hooked in Vinnis Nikkim.  I love working in 100% cotton since it looks luxurious and shapes beautifully. 

This week I am kicking of a hooking project with the old and wise residing in an old age/caring home.  I am hoping to also involve ladies from a nearby retirement village since the latter are a wee bit more energetic and will help keep the project alive once I am no longer around in this area to assist. The purpose of the project is twofold, firstly as therapy and secondly to decorate their corridors which is currently devoid of any decorative objects let alone colour.  It is quite sad that these wonderfully wise ladies stare at white and grey walls day in and day out when their minds are full of colourful memories . . .

I saw a bag featured in a local magazine and decided to quickly hook myself one.  Isn't it pretty? I am using both 4ply as well as DK in six different colours - 3 warm and 3 cool shades

A throw for the Tween's bed as requested by her to be joined in off white.  The granny squares are in shades of green, purple, pink, aqua and yellow/orange.