Spring is on the Way!

Woo hoo!  Spring is nearly here.  It officially starts on the 1^st September here.  We have had a hard cold late winter.  Up till today I thought spring was never going to arrive, the days have been damp, cold and grey.  However today we saw the sun and didn’t need the heating on!

You might have gathered that I have fallen in love with doilies!  This week I got to and finished some of the doilies I have started over the last month or so.

First the yellow pineapple doily – it ended up a lot bigger than I thought but it makes a wonderful table centrepiece, that’s because I used no. 10 cotton.

I just love the pineapple patterns.  I might do this again with no. 20 cotton and make it two colours.  Pattern here

What gave me the idea was this doily.

The light colour is actually a lemony cream.  I am thinking of doing a set of four as placemats and doing some coasters to match for ‘Christmas presents’.  Am I allowed to use that word yet!  I used no. 10 thread again but with a 1.5 hook so it came up quite solid. Pattern here 

Today I finished this simple doily.  It is called Ferris Wheel, you can imagine the picot edges as the buckets on a ferris wheel.  This one is going to be used on the door curtain I am making.  Pattern here

This week I got a lovely surprize and won Amanda of Crafty in the Med Mediterranean give away.  Thank you Amanda looking forward to the goodies.

Also I have been very remiss in not welcoming new Followers So welcome and hi to Mamasmercantile, Ewa, Tami and By Nemes.

Today I decided to walk into town and noticed that a lot of my favourite flowering trees were in bloom.  I just love magnolias.  I have a small stellata variety so when I got home I went down the back and yes there were flowers, I had to pick a shoot and put in a vase.

While I was in the supermarket I saw this amazing fruit!  It is so ugly, its beautiful!

The Dragon Fruit (pitaya) it comes from Vietnam and Thailand from a cactus.  It has a melon like flavour and can be eaten as melons or used smoothies.  I have visitor with young kids in the weekend and I am going have a game with them!

While I was inspecting the magnolia bush, I also managed to harvest these, Yams and Celeriac.  I don’t think you get this type of yam outside of NZ, although I think it originates from  the Andes where they are called oca.  They are vaguely scented,  and boiled or roasted they are mealy like potatoes and slightly cooked they have a crisp crunch to them.'

Well I think that’s it for today. 

Thanks for visiting.

Stash Buster and Giveaways

The weather has been a bit turbulent here; a massive storm left me without a land line for a few days (made me realize how I need my internet fix every day!!).  Had some damage to the guttering and I lost my greenhouse,  it decided it wanted to fly next door!!!!  This is the second time; it got damaged in a storm last spring.  I have decided that’s it,  I am tired of being on edge every time there is a storm, the weather patterns seemed to have changed of late – more extremes.  I will make some cold frames out of the remains, and I will be able to move them about the garden.  Also I decided to have less vegetable garden and turn 2 of the veg patches into cottagey flower beds.  That will still leave me 2 beds for veg.  Being on my own I don’t really need so many veg.  Also my Rheumatoid Arthritis is starting to limit my activities a bit - got to save my energies for the crochet and flowers, ha-ha.

We have had a calm day, and after a week of being shut indoors with the stormy weather I decided to take a stroll around the block.  No wonder it is so bitter, there was snow on the Tararua Ranges.

Anyway, I have been doing a bit of stash busting and have made 2 cushion covers, the pink one will have as white backing and I have some sweet pink flower buttons for the back.  That will go to a friend’s daughter who snaffled my pink mandala in the same wool.

The next one is from the remains of the baby blanket I am making for a friends first granddaughter (I have just the border to do now).  I need to buy a backing as I want a small flower print in those colours.  This will join the blanket.

These two I am entering in Linda of Crafty Corner’s Summer Stash Buster link party.

GIVEAWAYS

This week I discovered two give-aways for wool, one at Amanda’s Crafty in the Med details here

The other at Mrs Micawber which I discovered via Linda’s blog. details here

Both have lovely colours to give away and the closing date is soon so check them out.  

The Garden

Luckily the area by my back door is sheltered and the storm did no damage.   

I am pleased that the Daphne is still scenting the area.

Under the eaves of the house I discovered this succulent starting to flower despite the cold.

Along from it I am really pleased to see some limes on the bush I planted last summer.  There are only five, but it shows me I have chosen the right spot.

Well that’s it for today, hope to see you soon.

Have a great crafty week.

Catch Up

Hi, long time no see!  I have been away from home dealing with family stuff for a couple of weeks and boy and I glad to be home!  Do you find as you get older that you revere peace and quiet.  I do!

Didn't get much crochet done, there were little sticky hands trying to help!  However I managed a simple doily pattern here, called Spider Doily (I first saw the pattern on Anna's of Nummer Elva  blog.) And a scarf in the quiet of night. 

Sorry haven’t a better picture, I took this after I finished and a LITTLE 4 year old Miss wanted it for her bedroom and I forgot to take a better picture.  What made me the happiest was her statement that when she is old enough, would I teach her to crochet.  

This scarf is in 4 ply merino wool.  When I got home I decided it was a bit dull and remembered an old copy of Simply Crochet had a scarf with lace at the ends.  I pinned it but the jury is still out.  What do you think?  Does it look too pretty?

The garden is waking up and the winter crops are looking shabby and weeds are growing at a rate.  Time to think about sowing seeds for summer, namely tomato at the moment.

 I was out in the garden doing my daily check-up, when I noticed that the a few winter crops were starting to go to seed, there were still lots of healthy growth, so I picked a handful and brought it in.  I didn't fancy a stir-fry, but I suddenly remembered Mum using silver beet a lot, why not a medley.  They were delish!

Green Vegetable Fritters

Fritters have always been part of our family's diet.  When Mum got out the chopping board and the remains of the Sunday Roast we knew it was fritter night.  If there was no roast left it was usually vegetables in the fritters, mostly corn, but on frugal nights probably before pay day, it could have simply been potatoes and parsley. 

Take your favourite fritter batter or follow this one.

Ingredients

125g (4oz) s/r flour or plain flour and add 1tsp baking powder

1 egg beaten

pinch salt

milk

Handful green vegetables I used cavelo nero, sorrel, rocket, silver beet (chard) leaves and some coriander chopped up finely.  The borage I used in my side salad.

Method

Put flour salt and egg in bowl and add a bit of milk, beat till smooth and add vegies. Now add more milk till it is dropping consistency, (the amount depends on how much moisture is on the veg after washing and drying)

Heat some oil or butter in fry pan (I use a mix as Then the temp doesn't get too hot.  Add tablespoons of batter and fry till bubbles appear.

Flip them over and cook tilt the bottoms are brown. Place on oven proof plate and put in a low oven to keep warm while you cook the rest.  Makes 10.

Serve with a side salad of choice.

Next time I make these I might add some corn and perhaps a pinch of cumin and coriander powder or just curry powder.  The variations are limitless.  Anyways, a marvellous way to use up a tired greens.

The Garden is starting to show signs of spring, the Xmas plum tree is in flower and the camellias are glorious.

Have a great week and see you soon.

Thanks for visiting.

Sun Breaks in the Clouds

Hello folks!  As you can see above we are in the thick of winter.  This photo was taken this morning as I wended my weary flu ridden body to the dairy (local corner store) to get milk and bread.  There were some breaks in the clouds and we had a short burst of sun.  Since then the weather has even got colder!  No snow here yet, that only happens once every 20 years or so.  But we have had some big hail storms.  Luckily, no damage.

I think I have broken the back of the flu and it will be better every day.  Sorry if I haven’t got around to you and visited, I have tried but my head was so foggy, I have given up for the time being, sometimes I looked, but my head couldn't cope with finding the words for comments.  Also I said that I would post a blog hop that Anna of Number Elva  passed on to me.  Sorry Anna I will try and do it next week.

Enough of the excuses and moans, I am feeling a lot better and have actually started to crochet again!  I suddenly realized that I have to get cracking on the baby blanket I am doing for a friends first granddaughter, It is due in a month and I want it to be well finished by then.  

So yesterday I got to and started to sew the squares together, I think it is going to be lovely.

This morning I started a doily – a simple one I found on Ravelry called appropriately enough Simple Pineapple Doily.  The link is http://www.ravelry.com/designers/sylvia-landman

I hope to have the doily finished by middle of the week.

I decided to use the colour yellow to make me think of sunny days to come and I thought it would be great to have on the bench where I keep my bowl of fruit, which at the moment is full of lemons from my lemon tree, great for my flu!  I have heaps enough for lemon curd and Preserved Moroccan Lemon. 

On my wander around the garden during one of the sun breaks, I spotted my first daffodils in flower, I normally try and leave them in the garden to give a lovely display and only pick when I have a surplus.  However I needed a bit of sunshine inside so I picked and these have had me smiling all afternoon despite the gloom and doom!

Anyway these pot marigolds are enough to keep the outside smiling and they can take whatever the weather throws at them!  

Thanks for visiting and have a smiley week.

Blanket WIP

This week I have been working on my (Japanese) flower garden blanket, it started out as a shawl, but I decided that it would make an awesome blanket.  It took me ages to work out the pattern as there are several variations of it on the web; in the end I used Lucy of Attic24’s photo.  I was a bit concerned that my petals were too full, and tried a smaller hook, as I am a loose crocheter.  However it still puckered!  Curious I tried different wool and it worked out flat.

(The light colours are really pale greens and lilac, I had to use a flash as the light is bad today.)

So it is the type of wool.  I prefer the raised 3D effect as it gives the blanket texture.   The wool is King Cole Riot Double Knitting, there is an amazing range and so far I am using 4 colour ways.  I might do some blue and teal and purple colours on the outer edges.  Leaves floating along in a stream!

It is such fun to make and very fast as I don’t have to decide what colours and so on for each motif.  Being a ‘join as you go’ project there has to be some thought to placement, but that’s not hard.

The colours make me think of the colours of autumn/winter and I found some photos of my garden I took a few weeks back.

Along the boundary, they really are next door’s trees, don’t you love borrowed landscapes!

Under the plum tree, I think I will have to move the cotoneaster as it will take over if given half a chance.

I also did some doilies this week but will leave that for another post.

Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful week everyone.

WIP an d Part 2 of Liebster Award

It has been a busy week, catching up on chores and such like.  But two things I have been working on is a bag made with some squares that I was going to use for a cotton blanket.  I changed my mind about that project for the time being as I don’t think I have enough of the ecru vintage cotton and the ivory is very expensive.  So here’s what I am going to do with the squares I have made. 

 I am trying to decide whether to have a gusset in ecru and have the strap carry on from it.  I am going to line it with the linen and back the strap with it as well.

The other two are traditional doilies for the door curtain I talked about last week.

Now for the second part of the Liebster Award.  Thank you Amanda of

http://amjaylou.blogspot.co.nz

Amanda’s 11 question:-
1. How many WIP's do you have at the moment?

Er……I started to list them but stopped when I needed a new page!!!

2. What are they?

I admit to 2 baby blankets, a mood blanket and a flower garden blanket.  2 scarfs, 1 shawl, 2 bags, numerous doilies, 3 mandalas, a hexagon quilt (I admit some haven’t been touched for months, I have a scatterbrain mind, I see something and want to do it and then abandon the project I am working on, especially the big ones.)  They will get done, as I made myself a new rule, not to start anything new until I have finished a project. Says she who just started a new doily this morning!!!

3. Regarding days out what would be your idea of heaven?

Going to Castlepoint beach on a blustery day and watching the waves, drinking tea from a Thermos (or soup if it is winter.)  I love waves crashing in.  Also the idea, that the sea links all the continents, and I wonder if it has touched a place where I have loved ones.

4. What would be your idea of hell?

Not being able to garden

5. What book are you reading at the moment?

The Secret Life of Bees  by Sue Monk Kidd (rereading)

6. What is your favourite tipple? ( can include non-alcoholic!)

In summer a ice cold freshly squeezed Lemon drink, winter, a Jarrah coffee (Vienna flavour)

7. What's been the best holiday you've been on so far?

A Summer Holiday in Switzerland a few years back, 3 weeks of walking in the mountains in and around Davos.

8. What is your dream destination?

Home, I had 20 years of travelling and I am happy to stay at home now, in fact I would be miserable away from it.

9. What would you put into Room 101?

Room 101? Amanda tells me it’s from George Orwell's 1984 and there is a program where celebrities take what they hate into it.  I would put people who criticize needlessly and gossip.  They could have fun together!!!

10. Do you have a favourite TV chef?

Nigella Lawson and Nigel Slater, we don’t really have celebrity chefs here in NZ. Although, we do have our own version of Masterchef.

11. What is your all-time favourite cake?

Any cake that has apples in it, or I could be retro and say a decent Black Forest Cake preferably from Tubingen (Germany).

Now I should nominate some blogs, however I am going to break the rules here; as I did that with the award I received a couple of months back.  So, if any of my followers want to do the award I nominate you!!!  I know it is a lot of work, but feel free.  However I am going to point you in the direction of some lovely blogs that I have bookmarked and love to gaze on their goodies, there are some enormously talented people out there.

http://crocheterie.blogspot.co.nz/   - crochet free patterns that are different from the norm.

http://de-la-maison-au-jardin.over-blog.com/ doilies and suchlike, even though it is in French, she gives charts of her designs.

http://mijardinderetales.blogspot.co.nz/  she has some amazing crochet and a recipe or two.

http://crochet-plaisir.over-blog.com/  some amazing crochet patterns

http://thelittletreasures.blogspot.co.nz/ dressmaking, crochet and crafts

http://olavas.blogspot.co.nz  lots of lovely crochet embellishments

http://marie-lostbirdstudio.b logspot.de/ amazing vintage craft made with lace doilies and the suchlike

http://vintagegreyhandmade.blogspot.co.nz/ quilting with vintage feel.

http://nasturelul-fermecat.blogspot.co.nz/ toys and other crafts

http://crochetmillan.bloggplatsen.se/  crochet generous with patterns even though it is in Swedish she produces charts.

http://www.maidoll-melodie.blogspot.co.uk/  knitted art dolls

I will leave you with a few pictures of my garden.

One of the vegetable beds, that’s purple sprouting broccoli in front and Tuscan kale at the back, and I think there are some cabbages.

I am really proud of my fennel this winter it is bulbing up nicely.

The primulas are putting on a nice display.

The jonquils are out, a promise of the spring!

Thanks for visiting and I hope you all have a great week.

Random Things

I haven’t done much crochet this week as I have visitors from Aussie.  However in the odd quiet moment I have been playing around with the op shop cottons I have brought over the past few weeks.

I have become quite keen on the traditional doilies.  While I was roaming through Pinterest, I have discovered some cool ways of using them.  Two I want to try, lampshades and curtains.  This morning I pinned some doilies I had to the net curtain at the front door, Wow!

The big doilies were my great aunts the small ones are mine.

Doilies here I come, i like the idea of doing them myself, rather than buying vintage ones then I can use colours to suit me.

I have received a Liebster Award from Amy of Amjayloublogspot.co.uk.  I received one a few months back, but still decided to take part as it was an opportunity to share a few things about me a in the second part share some blogs that I love.

We are to share 11 random things about ourselves (today) and answer 11 questions set by the giver, nominate 11 blogs to receive the award  and set them 11 questions.  I like the idea of spreading it over 2 posts, doesn't seem so much work!

Here goes - 11 random things about me

1.    I like to  see what is on the other side of the hill

2.   I collect seashells, stones, cacti, vintage china, art materials………

Shells on my bathroom windowsill

3.   George Clooney makes me sigh…..

4.   I love to photograph close ups of flowers.

My favourite rose its a climber, don't know its name it runs alongside the drive and is awesome in early summer.

5.   I am a children’s illustrator by trade and a wannabe children’s writer, (tired of illustrating other peoples stories)

Design for a card

6.   I grew up on a dairy farm in Taranaki.

7.   I spent 20 years overseas mainly Britain and France.  Been back in NZ just over 10 years.  (A rather long OE!!!)

8.   I love to paint flowers from my garden.  I did the below yesterday in gouache (a type of watercolour paint) for my sister to take back to Aussie as she loves Daphne and cant grow it, my bush is scenting the house and garden out.

 9.   Gardening is a passion along with crochet, and my art.  These are photos from last summer (January 2014)

My back garden looking at the house from the start of the veggie patch.

The veggie patch, my quiet spot under the plum tree

10.  I adore then sea, but live an hour’s drive away from the nearest beach.

Riversdale Beach, my favourite local beach.

  

11.   I give thanks every day to God for the blessings in my life.

Well that's it for today, I will post the rest next week.  I  leave this thought for you from a page in my art journal.

Reach out for the stars, our imagination is real!

Have  a good week and thanks for your visit.