First up – my finished projects

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basket, basket cover, bunny, crochet bags, crocheting, cross stitch, cross stitches, cross stitching, festive season, floppy bunny, gnome, granny squares, hand knitted, hand knitting, hand stitched, handknit, handknitsocks, handknitted, handmade, handsewing, happy holiday socks, hat, holders, kitchen cloths, knitted, Knitting, minions, pinboards, sewing, Shawl, socks, Stitching, tissue holder, toaster cover, triangular shawl, work carry all, Wrap

So since I last posted about life in the little black dog household, sometime last year, I have been slowly and steadily crafting here and there, and keeping busy.  It was lovely summers days, and hot, so crafting was not always done, and when I was crafting, it was small items that was easy to work on.

Very few are currently WIP’s and I did indeed finish most of the projects I started during the last few months.

 

Some cotton dishcloths for the kitchen, with little crocheted flowers.  And a cheerful make up bag for a sweet and friendly colleague of mine.

 

One of the bigger projects, a very soft shawl with an autumn coloured edge.  Nearly time to start wearing it, it is just a few degrees cooler here now.  And a granny square, paisley pattern lined toaster cover.  🙂

 

When I dropped in at the LYS, she was working on this stunning basket pattern and kit.  It was super quick and easy, and I now take it every day I come to work, it is perfect for lunch and snacks and all the other odds.  I also finished Bop a Long, the furry bunny I had been planning.  It was a trying project, as the fabric shed fur all the time, and I had fur everywhere.

 

For the holidays, I got the notion to “invite some friends” and some cute gnomes came around to visit. This one with the red hat was very popular.  And I had to have a pair of red socks to wear as well.

 

My daughter gave me this stunning yarn from Italy, and I just knew it would be perfect for this wrap the moment I saw the pattern.  It really shows up the details and texture.  And I even had enough for a little hat too.  Even my old pin notice board got a new vintage look cover with storage pockets.  (it really needed a make over)

 

I bought this little kit last year in Brussels, Belgium and got it stitched up in no time once I got started.  The pieces were all pre-cut.  How nice.  Now it travels in the car with me every day as a little good luck charm.

 

And during a visit to the local huge fabric and craft warehouse, I happened to come across these cute minions.  I immediately knew they needed to come home with me.  So I got a few balls of Turkish cotton and crocheted some little pockets and added the minions to them.  Now my tissues and hand wipes are neat and tidy in my handbag, and I can have the little minions around all the time.

And this is the current progress on the cross stitch work I started last year.  Still much a work in progress, but making steady progress.  I absolutely love the embroidery floss and the gradient it creates.

And that is it for now, happy crafting to all and take care.  🙂

ps:  This was the start of my day this morning, a beautiful Fall day.

On my way to work on this lovely foggy morning.

 

 

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New projects and Wips’

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blanket, bunny, crochet, crochet bag, crochet bags, crocheting, cross stitch, cross stitches, cross stitching, embroidery, floppy bunny, hand crochet, hand crocheted, hand stitched, handknitting, handmade, kitchen cloths, knitted blanket, knitted squares, pure cotton, stitches, Stitching

So it is already July and the middle of the year.

And with that, a lot of new small projects and new wip’s that have found their way onto my needles and hooks.

The blanket square pattern are now settled.  I am happy with the look of the pattern and will continue to knit these squares until I have used all the yarn and have enough squares for a blanket.  🙂  It is a large project that may take a bit, but in the end I will have a pretty big and cozy blanket.

Blanket squares

Then I started with some crochet.  🙂  I had been in the mood to crochet something, and small projects like these crocheted bags were just what I needed to feel very happy with taking out my hooks again.

I made a small cotton bag, and this local cotton works so well.  It is lovely and sturdy and feels good on your hands.

Crochet bag in blue

Crochet bag in blue

Crochet bag in blue

Then I also crocheted a bamboo bag.  I love bamboo yarn to crochet with, it is very smooth and easy to work with.  I added a pretty daisy that I got from a swap buddy last year.  It really adds to the bag, and makes it super cheerful.

Yellow crochet bag

Yellow crochet bag

Yellow crochet bag

Still working with cotton, I am making a small pile of cotton kitchen cloths.  This is the first one, with a few more to follow.

for the kitchen

And thanks to all the beautiful embroidery work of so many, I could no longer keep myself in check.  I have started a cross stitch project.  I am not sure yet if I will be framing it, or using it as a tea cloth or a centrepiece for something larger.  But I love the variegated floss I got and am working on this when the light is good.  (old eyes you know 🙂 )

a bit of embroidery

Also lurking in the background is this floppy bunny.  I have cut the white fur.  🙂  and had bits of white fur and fluff all over the table and workplace in the end.  I still have to cut the grey fur, which is about twice as much.  🙂  but am still working up the courage to cut into this fluffy fur again.  It is gorgeously soft and will sew up beautifully I think.

Fluffy floppy bunny

It is of course mid winter here in Johannesburg, so lots of time to relax and craft and enjoy a sunny cozy spot in the sun.

Happy crafting all.

Winter is here ….

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bear, bears, blanket, crochet, crochet blanket, crocheting, handmade bear, Handmade Bears, Johannesburg, johannesburg mornings, johannesburg weather, Mini Bears, miniature bear, misty, vintage look bear, winter, winter is here

Winter is here,

Friday morning started off very cold, and very misty.  The mist burned off when the sun came out, but it remained a typical winters day here in Johannesburg.

Misty mornings

That of course, meant a cold and wintery weekend.  And lots of time for crafting.  🙂  Yay.

I finished the crochet blanket I was working on.  Miekie loved the idea and could not snuggle under it soon enough.  I used a very plain stitch and pattern and it went amazingly quick.  I love this yarn and colour, “woodpecker” colour says the label.  It works well and fast.

Woodpecker Blanket

Woodpecker Blanket

And Old Ned, the little green and red bear, also got done.  He turned out so cute, and the perfect little friend for Old Blu that I did a while back.  I really like the fur with the two colours.

Old Ned

Old Ned

It is a chilly Monday here and this morning was a mere 3 degrees C but it warmed up again to a nice winters day.

Happy crafting all.

Happy Winter Crafting

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bear, bears, crochet, crochet blanket, crocheting, hand knitted, handcrochet, handknitted, handmade, handmade bear, Handmade Bears, handsewing, handsewn, knit, knits, knitted, knitted shawl, Knitting, Mini Bears, miniature bear, sewing, Shawl, vintage look bear, Work in progress

So winter is here now, and the days are lovely, chilly and sunny.  I do enjoy a good winter’s day around here.  Although lately we have had some pretty cloudy overcast days, specially in the afternoons, and with drizzle during the night too.  Winter rainfall is unusual in Johannesburg.  The trees have started losing their leaves, and the lawn has a leafy blanket now.

This then means more crafting time for me now.

I have had enough daylight to stitch me little bear, Old Ned.  All the parts are sewn, and ready for stuffing.  Then his face and ears, which is my best loved part, as it gives character to them.  Then I am ready to assemble the last bits.

Little bear progress

And of course, winter brings shawls.  And even though I have many already, and love to wear them, I guess I can never have to many.  The latest one is a pretty blue-ish one.  The yarn is a yarn cake, and fades into shades of blue.  I found the perfect pattern, Chasing Blizzard Shawl.  The pattern makes use of various colours, but since my yarn is already coloured, I just follow the pattern without changing yarns.  It is an amazing easy pattern and knits very nicely.

New shawl

And when the cold is a bit to nippy, I can now change to the Woodpecker blanket, which is growing steadily at a lovely pace, and now big enough to keep my legs warm.  It will definitely be finished this winter still.

Woodpecker blanket progress

Happy crafting to you all.  🙂

 

 

 

 

Time for some finished projects

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bag, bags, blanket, crochet, crochet bag, crochet bags, crochet blanket, crocheting, dog, dog bandanna, dog cowl, doggie, handdyed, handknitsocks, handknitted, handkntting, handmade, Little black Dog, nanhua temple, roadtrip, roadtrips, socks, yarn, yarns

It has been a very good and progressive couple of weeks.  The cooler weather has finally arrived, and it meant more time for crafting and relaxing.

Plus we have had some lovely long weekends to enjoy, and I made very good use of all the extra days.

I took a long road trip to visit the Nan Hua Temple.  It is an absolutely beautiful place to visit, and I spent the day there and enjoyed a beautiful vegetarian lunch.  I find it very peaceful and tranquil.

Temple Entrance

 

Nan Hua

Nan Hua

I crocheted a new bag that I could use the funky cheeky piece of fabric I had.  This time the fit was perfect, and I even inserted a zipper.

Crochet Bag

Crochet Bag Lining and zipper

Off my needles is my first pair of socks for the winter.  I tried a little something new / different on the heels, but I may need to practice a bit more.

Socks

The left over sock yarn became a cowl and bandanna for Miekie.  She seems happy with the new goodies.

Miekie New Cowl

Miekie New Bandanna

Do you remember this yarn I got from my daughter?  🙂  I decided to make a crocheted blanket.  The colourway is called Woodpecker, and I am calling this my “woodpecker” blanket.  The colours does remind me very much of a little woodpecker bird.

New Crochet Blanket

Happy crafting all.

Stash additions

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lace yarn, new stash, openskyyarns, sock yarn, speckled yarn, stash, yarn, yarns, Yarnstash

New stash additions

I am very sure the Easter Bunny brings yarns.  🙂  How else did I get these lovelies.  😉  😉

The lovely Charmaine at Open Sky Yarns  is having a huge discount on all her lovely yarns, and I had a very hard time to decide which of these to get for myself.

I finally decided on these, and I am totally in love with the speckling she created, especially in the two darker ones.

Even though they are different lots, I think they will knit up well together as complimentary to each other.

And who could possibly resist the creamy lace yarn with the hints of colour.  🙂  I swooned and got it immediately.

Keeping with my resolution to buy less blue yarns, I decided on a pretty green for a change.

The discounts are still up and running if anyone wish to order, do not miss out!

Have a wonderful and crafty time.  🙂

 

Amazing Labels

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carelabels, clothinglabels, customlabels, hangtags, label, labels, stocklabels, swingtags, wovenlabels

Things are getting very crafty around here.  I am so very proud to show off my brand new perfect labels.

I finally have personalized labels to show off my crafts and goodies.  How stunning are these.

Amazing Labels

I ordered a whole variety of different labels from The Dutch Label Shop.  They have offices in The Netherlands, and in the USA.  I took my time and browsed their site for at least two days.  There is just such a big variety and options to work with.  Deciding what to get was very difficult.

I finally decided on two labels.  A soft creamy one to stitch on as is.  And a pretty grey one, that would be used folded around the edge of the project to display both sides.  Then I also ordered care labels with wash instructions.  So perfect, as you get to choose the care instructions you want to have on your label, and you get space to put your Name etc, and space to have some written instructions or comments too. ( 🙂  I may need more with different instructions for different types of yarns, etc.)

Also included in my order was some standard labels, i.e. 100% cotton, which is perfect for the popular 100% cotton that is so lovely to work with and wear here in South Africa.  And who can resist a “one size fits all” label.  Definitely a must have.

Finally I even included some swing tags.  🙂  They are punched and have a wax cord already attached as well.

What I really love about the labels, is that they are of such good quality.  There is no loose ends, or fraying bits.  The colours are exactly as I had hoped them to be, even though one is ordering from a website and colours can look differently on screen.  Even though one can use your own designed logo for any of the works, I simply opted for one of the hundreds of logos / pictures / drawings that they already have available.  The little doggy was just perfect for me.  The edges of the labels is soft and does not scratch.  And you can order from small quantities too.

If you love my labels, just follow the link to their site and browse around for yourself.  There is so much to see and enjoy.

Thank you Dutch Label Shop for making me so very happy with my very own labels.

 

#SAFestiveswap reveal

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#SAfestiveswap2017, crochet, Gifts, goodies, lace yarn, mini skeins, notebook, project bag, scissors, snacks, stitch markers, swap, swaps, tea, treats, yarn, yarns

After a lovely long vacation, visiting Cape Town and a game lodge in the far north-eastern parts of my country, I am slowly getting back to my normal routine.

I had the most wonderful Christmas time with family, and we got to spend the day in the sun and enjoying the very warm weather.  The cool water in the pool made all the difference.

But of course, December is Christmas swap time.  I did a local swap, the #SAFestiveswap and got the most gorgeous package from Nicole (Divine Designs Crochet)  🙂  She knows how to spoil someone.

SA Festive Swap 2017

I got beautiful lace yarn, and sparkly crochet cotton, mini skeins, a notebook and pretty butterflies  (that I am already using) teas, bathsalts, treats, scissors, stitchmarkets, handmade decorations, a project baggie, and Miekie got her favourite treats too.  I even got colouring in sheets, that I am taking to work for those times when I need to focus on something else.

SA Festive Swap 2017

SA Festive Swap 2017

SA Festive Swap 2017

SA Festive Swap 2017

#Stitchingsanta 2017

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coasters, crochet, Gifts, goodies, handknitting, handmade, Knitting, mugrugs, sewing, Stitching, stitching santa 2017, surprise, swap goodies

I am happy to say that we Finally had a rainy day.  It rained beautifully for most of the day on Saturday.  I loved the rain, as we desperately need it.

It also meant I got to get crafting and hibernate.

I worked on my #stitchingsanta2017 partner goodies.  I am not good at sewing, but gave it a try and made some mug mats.  In bright and cheerful colours.  I also made a few crocheted coasters.

Stitching Santa 2017

And I still have some goodies that is not finished yet.  More to follow soon.

Stitching Santa 2017

I did some wool shopping as well.  I may keep those as a surprise.

From Germany with Love!!

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birgit freyer, die wolllust, laceyarn, scarf, scarfkit, schoppel, schoppeledition6, schoppellace, schoppellaceball, schoppelwolle, schoppelzauberball, Shawl, shawlkit, stole, stolekit, wolle, wool, Wrap, wrapkit, yarn, yarns, zauberball

Along with my Danish / Peruvian yarns, I decided that my second order would have to be with Birgit Freyer of Die Wollust in Berlin.

I have been wanting to try out Schoppel Wolle for some time.  Whenever I saw these beauties being knitted, I could not keep away from the beautiful shades and colours they had.

I choose very carefully.  I would have chosen way to many if I could. I got a selection of stunning colours, in Laceball, Edition6 and various Zauberball.

De Wollust Berlin Germany

But I wanted some of Birgit’s fine lace yarns too.  I spoiled myself with a very pretty sage silvery green lace yarn.  And a kit for a lace stole / scarf / shawl that is in the most beautiful colours.  I was gifted the pattern for the shawl, and it is so well written and easy to understand.

Thank you Martin and Birgit, for making shopping with you (even from very far away) such a lovely and warmhearted experience.