applehead

small warm ears.....

hopefully what this baby earflap hat will ensure....

pattern courtesy of Julie knitted in Debbie Bliss cashmerino ( a pale pink and mint green) with a double crochet edge and one of these small flowers just for fun.....

the washcloth.....

made from this organic cotton ( that you can find here)....

my new favourite flower....

see the pretty blanket

look at the beautiful parcel

...watch me rush to the counter to buy the book all because of this one small flower.....

ISBN4-579-11113-3

There were another two pages showing this little beauty in all its glory but I was too busy crocheting flowers to scan any more.....

First up, in a hand dyed fuzzy yellow handspun mix of merino and angora ( no, I didn't spin this!).
These are quite big...about 16cm across due to the choice of wool -I just loved the vibrant colour!

I then made a version using some organic cotton...this time I altered the pattern slightly to make it bigger and added a border of double crochets...I think it will make a quite a lovely face washer. It was much too late when I finished it to take a photo, so that will have to wait until tomorrow....

Next up I am going to make some much smaller ones using this linen thread which you can buy here with tons of other goodies ( you have been warned!)...just have to remember where I put it.....

I should be able to make this flower in my sleep soon....

Oh, in case you were wondering, there were actually a lot of other noteworthy patterns in this book.....just let me work through my obsession with this flower first....

mary, mary, quite contrary...

how does your garden grow?.....
no silver bells here but a pattern for a lovely ruffled flower instead!

I had to scan the flower as my camera is doing odd things at present ( more about THAT another post) so it looks a little flattened.  A very easy three rows (after the foundation ring) and there are numerous ways of adapting it. I am going to use it on a crocheted strip to make a simple wristlet for a few little girls that I know... I have also used it to make a plain parcel look a bit prettier.....(  8 ply wool and 3.50mm or size 9 hook were used to make this flower)

Double ruffled flower

To begin:making a chain of four and join with a sl st to form ring.

Rnd 1:Ch 2 ( counts as 1 dc) and then work 11 dc into the ring. ( Alternately you can use the base adjustable ring method).

Rnd 2: Working into the front loop only of each dc, work 1dc, 4ch , 1dc

The photo on the left shows the front of the flower with the first layer complete. The photo on the right shows the back of the flower after the first layer. You can see a "ring"of  loops in the centre- this is the back loops of the dc's,that you will work your second layer into.

To make it easier to see I have used a different colour for the second layer.

Note: If you want a single ruffle flower stop right here!

Rnd 3: Working into the back loop only of each dc of the first round,work 1dc, 6 chain, 1 dc.

Front view on the left, back view on the right!

End yarn off leaving approx 15cm tail to pull through last loop.

You can leave the flower as is or add a crochet centre(  instructions below). You could also embroider the centre on ( a good way if you want to add a centre and attach it to something at the same time), make a fabric centre or perhaps get creative with a button or beads!

Crochet centre: Ch 3, *yo , insert hook into third ch from hook,yo, pull through 2 loops( 2 loops left on hook).Repeat from * 3-4 more times (depending on how big a bobble you want for a centre), yo and pull through all 5/6 loops on hook. End yarn leaving a 10 -15cm tail. Draw the tails through the centre of the flower and either tie off with the flower tails, or use the centre tails to sew the whole flower onto whatever you are using them to decorate.

I hope this last bit makes sense- it was impossible to photograph or scan. It is easier that it sounds - if it is just too confusing use one of the alternate centres suggested above.

If I can get my camera to cooperate and find a willing model I will take a picture of the finished flower wristlet tomorrow.

By the way, as soon as I can remember which book this pattern came from, I will post the information.

first day of summer....

and naturally my mind turns to..... pumpkin soup and these knitted mitts!

Obviously something rather amiss in the wiring of my brain...not sure why but I can't get enough of this pumpkin soup spiced with ginger and coriander. Possibly because its so simple and definitely because it tastes so good with a big piece of toasted sour dough!

And for all of those in cooler climates ( or with an out of season brain like mine) here's the recipe...

Sort of Summer pumpkin soup

Peel and chop up a whole pumpkin removing and discarding seeds.(You can use a half if that's all you have or need but it never lasts long in my house so I always make a big batch!).

Place in a big saucepan and add enough stock ( I use vegetable but you can use chicken instead) to barely cover the pieces. Homemade is great but the good quality tetra pack stuff works just as well .

Add some slices of peeled fresh ginger - this is to taste and as a guide I use  about a 2cm knob of ginger for a medium size pumpkin). Sometimes more if I need a good hit of ginger.

Bring to the boil and then simmer until pumpkin pieces are tender.

Optional bit: Remove and reserve  some of the stock - 1/2 to 1 cup

then ( and this is not optional or else you will just have lumps of boiled pumpkin instead of soup!) puree the rest of the stock,pumpkin and ginger until smooth.Use some of the reserved stock if the soup is too thick for your liking ( it really depends on the type of pumpkin you use as some varieties are more watery than others. I guess it also depends on how thick/thin you like your soup!)

Season to taste  and add a good handful of coarsely chopped coriander (cilantro). Taste and add more coriander if needed.I always need more.

I sprinkle the sourdough with olive oil (so good for you !) and use a flat toaster - be warned one piece is never enough!

enjoy!

Enough of the domestic goddess for now - here's a pattern from a vintage crochet book I picked up recently. I thought immediately of this lovely lady who is currently working through her obsession with granny squares ( someone should tell her that you never really get over it!...). If you want the pattern, Alex just let me know....

And here's the back cover feature...

Actually, I am very tempted to give this a try...I think it would be great with jeans ( but I'd probably be ditching the snood!)

Another flower coming up tomorrow to add to the crochet collection!

flower power...

Every year, at the beginning of December, my parents would take my sister, brothers and I into town to see the David Jones Christmas windows. For me it always marked the start of the Christmas season....on Saturday evening, we decided to take Rose and Charlotte into the city for their first look at the windows. I'm not sure who was the most excited: the girls or myself! This year the windows are based on well loved Christmas carols acted out by a host of marionettes. Above each scene is Santa, holding the strings "making" the puppets work. My favourite was the Twelve days of Christmas window with the beautiful pear tree, complete with partridge and two very chic looking "French" hens!  Afterwards we stopped for gelato as a special treat to round off the evening. Definitely the start of a family ritual.....

Now that I have moved into a Christmas frame of mind I have started ( amongst all of other on-the-go projects) to think about what I might make for various family and friends.
One of my gift ideas calls for some crocheted flowers so I have started trialling a few different styles. After the response to the 100 flower scarf pattern ( I have seen some of the results here and there- so lovely to see) I thought that I may as well pop up the patterns as I go for anyone who might want to use them.

Here is crochet flower # 1...the basic five petal flower....( I have used an 8 ply wool and 3.50mm or size 9 hook)

#1 Five petal flower

To begin: Chain 5 and join with Sal st to first chain to form ring. ( if you prefer use the base adjustable ring method which results in a perfect centre every time...I use it for everything now...)

Round 1: Ch 2 ( counts as 1 dc) and work 15 dc into the ring, sl st to beginning chain.

Round 2: *Ch 4, skip 2 dc, sl st into next dc: repeat from * 4 more times ending in last stitch in base of beginning chain.

Round 3: in each Ch 4 space work 1dc, 4 tr ,1 db tr, 4 tr, 1 dc: join with a sl st to first dc.

End yarn, leaving a tail for stitching or joining if desired.

(Note: Instructions are British/European so for US/Canadian use sc for my dc and dc for my tr.)

The great thing about this flower is that you can stop after the second round and have a small very basic flower like the blue one on the left...I have used these on hairclips (and I'm sure that there will be few of those in Christmas stockings this year!)

The pink flower on the right is made in a Manos Del Uruguay Handspun Semi Solid kettle dyed yarn, one of my favourites( you should see the colours!) with a slight variation in round 3: into each 4 ch space I have worked 1 dc, 9 tr, 1 dc to give a more rounded petal shape.It had been worked on the same size hook so it is only the wool that makes the difference in size.

Calendar update.....almost there with my special dates pages and my April pages for the other calendar should start arriving at their new homes this week....hope you all like them!

 

100 flower scarf pattern

Thank you to everyone who took the time to post a comment about the 100 flower scarf. I was just amazed at the response and thrilled to win a prize ( who doesn't like to win something especially a new book!) . Quite a few people asked for the pattern so i have put together a quick "How to" . It really is a simple flower...lots of them...then sewn together in whatever manner pleases your aesthetic sensibilities. A great way to use up little bits of wool  and an easy way to fill in a few minutes here and there during the day. Use them as a trim or make up a bunch for a happy flower pin....incidentally my scarf only uses 74 flowers but you can use as many or as few as you care to make. As far as wool types/ply goes - different plys will obviously give you different size flowers. The same applies to different fibre types. If you want a very regular , uniform look , try to stick to similar weights. I think that a scarf made up of all different weights and types would look kind of like a crazy patchwork ...fun, fun ,fun(please let me know if there are any mistakes/obvious steps left out!) Note: Instructions are British/European so for US/Canadian use sc for my dc and dc for my tr.

Little flower

special abbreviation: Tr2tog= work 1 tr into each of next 2dc until one loop of each remains on hook, yo and through all 3 loops on hook.
have fun!

Make 6ch , sl st into 1st ch to form ring or see photo for making an adjustable ring which works beautifully - I use this start on everything requiring a ring of chains to begin- no more holey center's!

image 1 - dc worked onto adjustable base ring
image 2 -completed ring of 15 dc
image three - flower with two petals

2nd round: [3ch, Tr2tog ( see spec abbrv above) over next 2 dc, 3ch, sl st into next dc] 5 times placing last sl st into last dc of previous round.
Fasten off.

image 4- forming third petal.
image 5- finished flower.

Arrange flowers and stitch together to form scarf.
I stitched the flowers together in pairs and then stitched all of the pairs together, with each pair off center to give the scarf a wavy look. I used sewing thread - you could use the tails of the flowers if you wish or thicker embroidery thread if you want the joining stitches to be a feature.

Add fringe/pom poms/etc if you want and then send me a photo! I'd love to see any results!

100 flower scarf

OK, OK not quite a hundred but it certainly felt like I was sewing one hundred together.
This scarf started as an enormous bag of odd and ends tapestry wool that I picked up at St Vinnies.

I was playing around with a little crochet flower  trying to get ideas for a swap I was doing and before I knew it, there was a pile of  coloured flowers. So of course I decided that it would be a good idea to stitch them into a scarf. Took a little longer than I thought and in the meantime I made and sent a different scarf for my swap. When I saw that this weeks Whip up Whiplash theme  was "colour" I decided that it was the perfect opportunity to get it finished ( and ticked off my list of "THINGS I MUST FINISH - hooray). Here it is..... firstly draped artfully over a tree....

and again, a graceful action shot...

and just in case you didn't quite get it, once more doing the domestic doorknob thing....

Whilst we're talking Japanese craft books ( I know , but any excuse) here's s another beauty I picked up last week when I went to exchange some wool. Unfortunately the wool shop was shut ( what happened to late night trading guys?) but as Books Kinokuniya was open until 9.00pm I count the trip as successful.Especially when I found not one but three must have books and ( bonus) I received 20% off( I am such a valued customer) so I actually saved money by buying them ( at least that's how I look at it)

ISBN4-529-04163-8
I am definitely going to have a go at the bag on the cover and I just loved the quirky little bowls and containers....

so much so that I had to have a go with some of the wool from my ridiculous stash ( it really is getting out of control so if anybody is interested in doing a swap of anything for a good selection of some of it just drop me a line....... I also have a heap of wool tops for felting left over from my felting lectures....)
Here is my first effort- a bit wonky but I kinda like that. I did put handles on but took them off the next day as they didn't seem right. I will have another go , maybe with a lid some time soon. I'd really like to try a more organic shape as well, something a bit more sculptural.Soon. When I have finished some of my other on the go projects. And I have a few ideas for some more things to keep me busy , taking shape even as I type.......

good bowl sit, see, it stayed very still and smiled on cue......