Apple Blossom Inspiration.

My Apple trees are magnificent at the moment!  I just love how the petals have that touch of pink.

I am in full Christmas present making mode at the moment – sorry for using that ‘C’ word!  I have decided to make some pot holders for various friends.  I have made some when I first started to crochet but they were too thick for using comfortably so I decided to try and make some using a combination of material and crochet cotton.  Looking at my stash of cottons and materials I came up with some colours that mirror apple blossom.  So of course I had to base the pot holder on flowers.  I thought of the vintage flower pot holder pattern but decided that the material I was going to use needed a more abstract version, so I thought of the African Flower.

Err… when I looked up the credit for this pattern I realised that it wasn’t the usual African flower.  It wasn't even the Maybelle flower either; it was a cross between the two!  

This is what happens when you are too lazy to actually look at the instructions.  I actually like this version.  I also changed the pattern I originally had for making it into a square, as I hate the curve that sometimes happens when turning circles into squares.

I decided to do the rest in single crochet as I want a striped affect like the material.  Above it is blocked and sewn to the backing.  At this stage I decided to add the red as edging to give it a finished look.

Tah Da, My Apple Blossom pot holder!

I have just noticed that the apple blossom has only five petals, well I claim artistic licence.

I have lots of other things that I have beavering away at but will leave it for another post.

Here is a picture of my cats waiting patiently for tea as I have been so focused on my crochet.  They are hoping that at some stage I will remember to bring the washing in, so let’s wait here as she will have to move us to get at the washing!

Yeah I know that the laundry basket is in a state!  Both Peggy Sue and Lucy( she is in the basket) love to use it as a scratching and chew post!  If I got a new one, they would do the same so I have given up.

Have a good rest of the week and thanks for visiting see you soon.

A doily, a bag and some tulips.....

In between bouts of gardening the above is what I have been up to over the last week or so.

First the doily, I am so pleased to have finished it as it has been hanging around for ages  I had made a mistake and kept putting off undoing some rows and starting again!  Finally I took myself in hand and finished.  Overall I am pleased with it.  It is actually more of a musky pink than the pink in the photo. Um I have not blocked it yet!

Over the last few days, I have been working on making a summer bag for myself out of some furnishing material scraps.

I added a doily I brought from the op shop for $1.  It took a bit of nerve cutting it in half, but eventually I got the nerve, and each side is embellished with it.

I decided it needed something more and so I crocheted two Irish roses in matching variegated cotton.  These I attached with a central pearl button.  When it was finished I decided it needed two roses  in the corners.

I even lined it with matching material that I had in my stash!  Err … Please don’t look too closely at my hand sewing!  The handles I took off an old bag I brought had the car boot sale for 50 cents.

Now, for some flowers from my spring garden, tulips this week.

Excuse my foot!

The pale lime is my favourite.

Have a happy creative week.  

Thanks for visiting.

Cards and Garden

Finally some time for blogging!  I have been so busy in the garden (I think early spring is always a struggle to keep up with rampant growth!)  Although I have managed to do a little crochet from time to time.  I want to make cards using crochet motifs, so have been trying out a few ideas.  This flower is I think quite successful.  I used no 10 cotton and a 1.5m hook.  I think any bigger than that will make the cards too chunky for posting as letter post.  I might try some using no 20 cotton and 1m hook, maybe a mini lacy doily to stick on the card?

I am very pleased with this camellia I brought it last year and it displayed three flowers this year but as you can see it is rather showy.  Er lost the label and can’t remember the name!  But I love it and can’t wait till it get bigger it is only 40cm at the moment.

Here is evidence of my labours in the vegetable patch.  I decided to keep the two front beds for vegetables as they get more sunlight, the ones behind will be the cottage flower beds.  There are still leeks and fennel from my winter garden which I hope to use up very shortly.

This year I have decided to plant more soft fruit , especially blueberries.  However yesterday I managed to get some pots of raspberry canes from the car boot market.  

Peggy Sue always has to inspect any new item brought onto the property!

Today the weather is damp and dismal, so no gardening, a chance to do some blog reading catch up and do some crochet.  Or maybe I should chill out like my three furry friends!

Have a happy day and see you soon.

Bear Hat

First of all welcome to my new followers,  Paula and Compostwoman.  Also I would like to thank Ilona of Life after Money for the link and mention.

I have been doing a bit of stash busting this week.  I have been invited to a baby shower and needed to do something for a baby boy.  I had been told that something for 3 months to 6 months would be nice as the mum-to-be is awash with new born gifts already.  I thought I would do a bear hat as I think they are so cute. 

So I went to Ravelry and Pinterest, there were hundreds of variations and patterns!  You would think that I would able to find something, but no, I have realised that I am picky!!  In the end I picked a basic pattern and started it was dreadful, so I frogged it and just got to and made it up as I went on.  It worked!

So much so, that my visitor this afternoon wants me to do a pink version for a 2 year old girl.  I am thinking that I might write a pattern for it, improving on some of the kinks.  I will post it when I do.

I have been doing some other stash busting and will post them when they are finished.

This week has been about the garden, spring is well and truly here.  I have been digging compost into the future cottage garden bed and the vegetable patch ready for planting in a few weeks.  Also I have been sowing seeds galore and the potatoes are nearly ready to plant..

Blooms are starting pop up everywhere and I was pleased to see the bees swarming over my white borage.

In the flower garden the Bergenia  or ‘elephant ears’ is putting on a wonderful show.

Well that’s it for today, thanks for looking and see you soon.

I am linking the hat to Linda of Crafty Corner’s Septembers Stash-buster link party.

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.