A quick fix

When Im working on one or two larger projects I sometimes feel the need for a quick project to satisfy my cravings for making AND finishing something. So this week I did just that and whipped up this crochet scarf, using scrap yarn and a beautiful woven stitch of single crochet, chain one.

This isn’t the first time Ive used this stitch (you can check out my dishcloths here), I like the fabric it makes and the way it looks, a little more stylish than a plain crochet stitch.

I guess since I joined the ends together its technically a cowl (or maybe a snood or an infinity scarf depending on where you are from), but whichever way you look at it, its lovely and warm and cozy!

And boy did it ever use up a good lot of my leftover wool 🙂

It was very useful today in the chilly wind and rain I had to stand in while watching not one, but two early morning games of Saturday soccer. In fact Im fairly sure, as I sit in front of my roaring fire tonight typing this that I have only JUST begun to thaw out! 

I quickly ducked outside this afternoon to catch the last of the quickly fading light to take these photos and the wind was still blowing everything around:

In other satisfying, but perhaps less permanent projects completed this week, in an unusual half hour where I found myself at home (alone!) and dinner already sorted, I painted some leaves…

I love autumn leaves, and these magnolia leaves lent themselves well as a lovely sturdy canvas. I used some acrylic paint and markers to create these designs, and while they won’t last forever, they were a fun way to use the time I had to unwind at the end of what had been a busy day.

Ok, so maybe I wasn’t entirely alone. I did have a small furry ‘helper’ who couldn’t quite understand what I was doing and why I wasn’t patting him!

I hope your week has been a good one, and for those of you enjoying spring, spare a thought for me as winter fast takes us into her fold and send me some words of the lovely sunshine and greenery you are enjoying at your place please! J xoxo

Holidays and making days

Term one is over and with Easter the holidays have started…

We spent Easter Sunday with family and a trip to the beach. In between eating chocolate that is.

After the second tropical cyclone in as many weeks, the weather was superb, and the beach laden with treasures for the finding.

The children and my brothers made a beach hut over three days. It was a architectural feat and a sight to behold!

It was ALMOST warm enough for swimming. For me it was perfectly warm enough for photography 🙂

There’s been plenty of making taking place now school’s out. The children have been making some very nice mice... these are much tidier than the slime they spent yesterday concocting!

This is a lovely free sewing pattern from Ann Wood, lots of fun and suitably small and cute!

They look pleased with their efforts don’t they?

Billy doesn’t look so happy with his new make… Maia lovingly crafted this finger knitted scarf just for him (matches the mice!).

In other projects at our house, my Hygge is coming along well:

I really enjoy making the cross stitch on crochet. I’ve never cross stitched before, but its very relaxing (once you get the stitches in the right place that is). The single crochet is getting a little mind numbing, but easy to work on in front of the TV after work in the evenings 🙂

What are you working on, any good holiday projects for kids you can recommend?

Stripy

From rock love to sock love…

This week I made these socks, it was my mission. I actually began them mid winter last year, and gave up a quarter of the way through the first sock.  All that yarn changing, I mean who can remember to switch yarn every three rows?

Billy though, was happy to see me out of doors after days of rain (flooding in some parts of our country).

So with almost maniacal intensity I spent this week knitting. Before breakfast, knit. Waiting for kids, knit. At swimming lessons, knit. Turns out that if you use all those pockets of time you can in fact fit a lot of (in this case) knitting in.

Deliciously soft, the blue yarn is merino -possum mix. So soft and cozy for my toes. They are, Im pleased to report, a delight to wear!

He’s a good looking cat, isn’t he? When he’s not bringing rats in anyway…

OK, enough photography. That’s his come inside and feed me face. Jxo

Distractions…

I’m feeling a little lonesome tonight, my daughter Maia is away at a school camp. She will be there for three nights, coming home Friday. I am worrying about all manner of (unlikely) things that could happen to my precious nine year old while she is away and so thought a blog post was in order – to distract me from my overactive imagination.

Here’s a little bit of what I’ve been up to…In between sock knitting, yes, still on that knitting jag! I’ve been crocheting small woodland creatures;

A squirrel for Carter, pictured here with much loved lion…
And a fox for Maia…
And since its autumn, today is in fact the last day, I’ve also made a few of these cute crochet acorns…Which make lovely little necklacesAll of these patterns come from Genuine Mudpie, if you’ve been visiting for a while you will know I’ve made a number of Trish’s patterns, always with great success.

What have you been up to? What’s your favorite distraction pastime? J xox

More socks…

I’ve finished another pair of socks. Sock making is really lovely, the effortlessly magical way the wool creates its stripy pattern continues to fascinate me 🙂
Child number one is very happy with them…Of course, as I’m sure those of you with children know, that means I am being asked on an almost hourly basis how I’m progressing on the socks I’ve promised to make for child number two:Not too badly, I reply…As I laze with my feet up and knit away the hours, pausing only to nibble on feijoas (notice anything in the spoon?), and smell the sweet scent of this beautiful blue hyacinth… Then I wake up from that daydream, roused by the call to get back to preparing breakfast/lunch/dinner/ washing laundry/ cleaning/ work/ finding some lost doodad/ chauffeuring children to music/ friends/ sports –  did I mention I’m coaching a soccer team now too?

So yes Carter, I’m working on your socks love, they’ll be finished… soon, I promise.

J xx

Pizza night and a bunny

The school holidays are coming to an end this weekend, come Monday we’ll be back to the school/work routines. It’s lovely to take the time together to make some meals a special celebration of the season, the holiday and just being together.

We love a pizza in this family, and now that autumn is here and the evenings are fine but cool, it’s the perfect time for cozying up in front of the pizza oven.Ready to come out…
Maia set the table for us, including picking a bunch of autumnal leaves and flowers and making little place setting name tags…Of course, the pizza was delicious… there are never any complaints about eating dinner on pizza night!And as you might have noticed in the first photo, dessert was also cooked over the open flame – well the marshmallows were anyway 🙂If you follow me on Facebook you might have seen that I recently taught Maia to knit. She picked it up really quickly – I’ve tried and tried to teach her to crochet but it just hasn’t stuck – but she’s taken to knitting like a duck to water…Don’t you love the look of concentration?

I found this really easy pattern to make a knitted bunny, which is basically just  a square which you sew up in a triangle to make the head and then along the seam to make the body… that doesn’t make much sense, but  you can find a much better explanation here!

Stuffing the body…And sewing the final seam:Love that tongue!

Here’s the finished bunny, cute huh…Pretty nifty how two of the corners make the ears! Im thinking it would work just as well with a crochet square, and even better if you had a furry yarn. She was very pleased with herself, and I am very proud of her yarny creating 🙂

For me, Im working on sock two of my second pair of socks, this pair is MUCH easier than the first was!This is taken this morning, while having breakfast. Green smoothie and blueberry and apple pancake squares… the raspberries have finally finished for the season.Don’t you love the colors, these self striping yarns are awesome!

What’s going on at your place, what are you working on?

Have a great week everyone!