The Joy of Winter :)

Tags

Bee Eater, box project bag, box project bags, cables, celtic cable, cheerful, grey, handknit, handmade, Johannesburg, johannesburg mornings, johannesburg weather, Kingfisher, knit, Knitting, linda's treehouse, project bag, project bags, sheep, south african yarn, stash, Sunshine Grows, sweater, travel, wool, yarn, yarns, Yarnstash

I find winter in Johannesburg very pleasant and a joy.  It is not extremely cold, and the sun is pleasant and comforting.  I would not mind very much if we had our fair share of snow, since I do love snow.

But in Johannesburg we make the most of the pleasant winters days.  Like spending a glorious sunny cozy morning, having a cup of coffee and enjoying the stunning view of the country clubs’ lawns.  I bit dry in patches, which is to be expected in mid winter.

Winter Mornings in Johannesburg

I have been patiently knitting away at my grey sweater.  I have already reached the under the arm length, and have now cast on for the sleeves.  The progress is steady, and I am loving the way the cable insert is turning out.  I have no pattern for this, so I will need to look at the top construction as soon as the sleeves are long enough.

Grey Sweater Progress

Grey Sweater Progress

Grey Sweater Progress

Grey Sweater Progress

And I spoiled myself with a little bit of happy mail.  Stunning bright, cheerful yarns from Linda’s Treehouse, in Kingfisher.  I chose Bee Eater and Sunshine Grows.  I think these would be great summer wear items.  🙂  Or winter, as they are so cheerful.

New Stash Yarn

My latest find in project  bags are these Box Project bags.  They are square and deep with a zipper.  If you open them all the way, you can fold the top back and they double as a portable fabric yarn bowl.  The cute sheepies print on these were just irresistible.  I got two sizes, one for sock size projects and one for shawl size projects.

Box Project Bags

Box Project Bags

Box Project Bags

Greetings :)

Tags

bear, bear fur, bears, cables, celtic cable, hand knitted, handknit, handknitted, handknitting, handmade, handmade bear, Handmade Bears, knit, knits, Knitting, miniature bear, sweater

Becky Bear is saying Hello to everyone.

She is finally all stitched and put together, and is even wearing a white glittery tutu and a pretty butterfly brooch.

The fur was a gift from my sister, and I absolutely love the way it worked for this bear. I used a bit of leather for the paw pads, and kept her as simple as possible.

Becky Bear

Becky Bear

Becky Bear

Becky Bear

Becky Bear

Currently on my needles is a rather big and brave project. 🙂  I decided to cast on a sweater for myself.  I have had this lovely and soft grey lambs wool in my stash for a bit, and have been wanting to knit a sweater for myself for some time now.  So finally it happened and I got started.  It is a plain sweater with not to much detail, but I am putting in a panel of Celtic cables, as I love the way they look.

Grey Sweater

Grey Sweater

Grey Sweater

So much time to craft!

Tags

100% merino, bear, bears, blanket, cowl, crochet blanket, crocheting, granny squares, granny squares blanket, greenteatipple, hand crochet, hand knitted, handmade, Handmade Bears, Knitting, mock cable cowl, scheepjes, Scheepjes Whirl, scheepjes yarn, Shawl, stormy day shawl, stormydayshawl, triangular shawl, turkish yarn

With winter recess and taking a break from work and the office, it is just amazing how much time you have to relax in the winter sun and enjoy the weather and craft.

I took my usual winter break, and was making the most of the weather, sunny days, and time to finish some projects.

After months of patiently waiting, Becky Bear finally got stitched.  All the parts are now sewn together, and I can put some stuffing into the parts and put her together.  The fur I was gifted by my sister, is lovely.  I am loving the look of Becky and am very happy with her.  She should be a happy little girl soon.  🙂

Becky Bear

Becky Bear

Becky Bear

Becky Bear

My quick knit of a mock cabled cowl in 100% Turkish Wool and Scheepjes Secret Garden Yarn was really quick and easy to knit.  This stitch was one of my Mom’s favourites, and she used it often in her projects.  I knitted the cowl open, and added some pearly buttons.  This makes it more versatile and I can wear it in different ways. I even had enough yarn to include a pair of fingerless mittens.

Cabled Cowl

Cabled Cowl

Cabled Cowl

My pride of course is this Stormy Day Shawl.  I can not get enough of this colour, and the finished edge is rich and dark.  The Scheepjes Whirl yarn is stunning, and this is only one to the amazing colour combinations for this Shawl.  I used GreenTeaTipple.

Stormy Day Shawl

Stormy Day Shawl

Stormy Day Shawl

Stormy Day Shawl

And I have a small crochet project going, a smaller blanket for a small family member.  I have started on the granny squares, and are just keeping it plain and simple so she can have it for the winter to keep warm when out and about.

Another Blanket

Another Blanket

Another Blanket

And in preparation for the all to soon summer, I decided that these two little cloths needs a pretty edge to brighten my kitchen.

Crochet edges

Crochet edges

Crochet edges

Why I just love winter!!

Tags

3d art, canvas, canvas art, cowl, crochet, crocheting, greenteatipple, hand crochet, handknitted, handknitting, handmade, scheepjes, scheepjes yarn, secret garden, Shawl, stormy day shawl, stormydayshawl

Winter is my favourite time of the year.  It is that time of the year when its just a little to chilly to spend so much time outdoors.  And when it happens to be a long weekend, you really get around to all those creative projects that had been lingering for so long now.

This weekend I got around to working on these canvasses I had done about a year ago, if not even longer.  🙂  I have had various ideas, but none of them really took off.  Then finally I decided to add to the canvasses and make them slightly 3D.  I have been looking for interesting pieces to add, and so far, these are the ones I have accumulated.  I painted them is the same colours as the original canvas colours, and added them so long.  It is still a long way to go, as I will be looking for more pieces to add, but I am very happy with the content so far.

3D Canvas Art (In Progress)

3D Canvas Art (In Progress)

3D Canvas Art (In Progress)

3D Canvas Art (In Progress)

3D Canvas Art (In Progress)

3D Canvas Art (In Progress)

3D Canvas Art (In Progress)

3D Canvas Art (In Progress)

3D Canvas Art (In Progress)

 

My Stormy Day Shawl is looking good.  I have been working on it steadily, and have progressed into the various gradient changes.  This is an amazing pattern, and I love working on it.  It is the perfect name for a shawl for winter, as we have been having some pretty windy days here lately.

Stormy Day Shawl Progress

Stormy Day Shawl Progress

Stormy Day Shawl Progress

Stormy Day Shawl Progress

I ordered a ball of Scheepjes Secret Garden yarn a little while ago, and it has been calling to me since the day I received it.  So this weekend I broke down, and cast on an open cowl with some 100% Wool (Turkish) and my pretty Scheepjes.  I am using a mock cable / open eyelet pattern that was my Mom’s favourite stitch.  I love the way the stitches show up with the white yarn.  The Secret Garden yarn is amazing with it.  It is going so quickly, and this weekend I will get some buttons to add to the side for fastening.

New Cowl

New Cowl

New Cowl

 

 

 

 

 

Winter is here!

Tags

baking bread, bread, cozy food, crochet, crocheting, curry, dog, handcrochet, handmade, Little black Dog, Miekie, stormy day shawl, stormydayshawl, winter, winter is here

Winter is here.

Woke up to this stunning sunrise and the promise to a beautiful day.

Winter Sunrise

And with the colder weather, came time to spend with the family.  Good times, to bake and cook and crochet.

This is what the weekend held.  Baking beer bread, making lamb and vegetable curry, and crocheting on my Stormy Day Shawl.

Winter cooking

Winter cooking

Stormy Day Shawl Progress

Stormy Day Shawl Progress

Stormy Day Shawl Progress

Stormy Day Shawl Progress

Stormy Day Shawl Progress

Stormy Day Shawl Progress

 

And of course, Miekie enjoyed the cold weather, being a little thief and stealing the hot water bottle for a cozy afternoon nap.

Winter Naps

A little something different

Tags

beads, constellations, crochet, crocheting, embroidery, gift, Gifts, greenteatipple, scheepjes, scheepjes yarn, Shawl, stars, starsigns, Stitching, stormy day shawl, stormydayshawl, yarns

What do you do or give to two young arty people, that just about has everything they need?  That was what I was thinking about when I decided to make something for my daughter and son in law’s second wedding anniversary.  And it had to be modern enough to fit into a loft apartment in the city.  🙂

This is what I finally came up with.  It is their star constellations, embroidered and embellished with beads for the stars, and sequin and beads for the bigger stars.  I chose a hoop and attached a small black leather strap, as they have a round wooden mirror that hangs from a leather strap, in the bedroom.  Perfect match.  🙂

Embroidery – Wedding day Anniversary

Embroidery – Wedding day Anniversary

Embroidery – Wedding day Anniversary

 

I ordered this stunning Scheepjes Yarn (Whirl) from BeInspired, as I simply loved it the moment I saw it.  This is Green Tea Tipple, not blue, but close.  🙂

Scheepjes Green Tea Tipple

Scheepjes Green Tea Tipple

Scheepjes Green Tea Tipple and Stormy Day Shawl

I had to wrap my head around crocheting UK stitches / pattern, since I normally crochet and read patterns USA stitches when working on crochet items.  I am already getting the hang, and although progress is a bit slow, the darker colour is not to easy on the eyes when working at night, I am looking forward to moving into the lighter shades, and making faster progress.  I love this yarn, it is super soft, very light, and I am sure it will wear beautifully and be lovely and warm.

Stormy Day Shawl

Stormy Day Shawl

Stormy Day Shawl

Stormy Day Shawl

Great timing

Tags

blanket, crochet blanket, crocheting, granny squares, granny squares blanket, Johannesburg, Johannesburg sunset, love jozi, progress, stratus wrap, sunset, winter, winterwrap, wip, Wrap

Saturday morning dawned with with clouds and cooler weather.  But the end of the day surprised us with this stunning view.  The clouds reminded me of an oil painting.  This is the view from my kitchen, and I used no filters and no touch ups.

Sunset

My Granny Square blanket now has a border, and just in time for the more chilly weather that rolled in on Saturday.  Even though the days are still pretty awesome, and gets warm enough to get by with just a light sweater, the mornings and evenings are now chilly enough for something warmer.

Granny Square Blanket

Granny Square Blanket

Granny Square Blanket

Granny Square Blanket

And with that said, I am very happy with the progress on my Stratus Wrap.  It is going to be a nice big and warm wrap and I can already tell that it is going to be with me wherever I go this winter.

Stratus Wrap

Happy Crafting!

A quick update before a very long weekend. :)

Tags

blanket, crochet, crochet blanket, crocheting, granny squares, granny squares blanket, handknit, handknitted, handknitting, handmade, Johannesburg, Johannesburg sunset, knit, Knitting, love jozi, Shawl, stratus wrap, triangular, triangular shawl, Wrap

With the Easter weekend, I have been able to craft a bit on my WIPs’ and I am so happy with the Granny Square blanket that I am making.  The blanket squares have all been joined, and I am working on a border.  The border may take a bit longer, as I have decided to just keep going at it with the colours and wool I have for this project until I run out.

Granny Square Blanket

Granny Square Blanket

Granny Square Blanket

Granny Square Blanket

My Tanis Triangular Shawl is complete.  It blocked beautifully, and I would recommend this easy to knit shawl to anyone.  I am considering knitting a second one, and doing the large lace border, as I stopped after a short piece of the lace border, and although I love this shawl, I think another one is definitely a must knit.

Completed – Tanis Triangular Shawl

Completed – Tanis Triangular Shawl

Completed – Tanis Triangular Shawl

I also started on a Stratus Wrap for myself.  This is a great pattern, and it is so easy and knits up so fast.  I am able to take it with me, and during the Easter weekend my sister and I enjoyed a good lot of knitting while the men in the family tended to the fire and a typical South African braai.  It will probably become a bit to big to carry around for much longer, but I have yarn and ideas for the next projects ready as well.  I added a spot of colour to the stratus wrap, specially since our Johannesburg sunsets are just so beautiful and you can not resist the evenings and the fiery colours.

The Stratus Wrap

The Stratus Wrap

The Stratus Wrap

Johannesburg Sunsets

I am working on a small embroidery piece and unfortunately the grey rainy chilly weather on the weekend was not so good for getting good pictures, it was a good time to hibernate with tea and stitching.  I will hopefully be able to show my embroidery soon.

It is a very short week for me, only 2 working days and a day workshop (work not craft related) and then a 5 day weekend.  LOL.  Yes I am ready for the long weekend here, and have loads and loads of projects and ideas to keep me busy, regardless of what the weather is bringing this time of the year.  It has started to become cooler, and some trees have now started to turn colour and drop leaves.  It is beautiful and I am so happy to have Winter coming to visit.

Take care and enjoy the new week.

WIP’s – Making good progress

Tags

blanket, blocking, crochet blanket, crocheting, granny squares, granny squares blanket, handcrochet, handknitted, handmade, Knitting, lace knitting, lace shawl, on my needles, Shawl

Even though it should be Fall here, it is still stunning weather, with warm and sunny days.  The weekend was perfect, and being outside and enjoying the sunny weather was delightful.

I did however work a lot on the Blues Blanket, and completed the final round, in a pretty grey colour “Fog”.  And as it should happen, I ran out of yarn, less than 3 squares to go.  Lucky for me the LYS has stock, and I need to drop by for a bit more.

Blues Blanket Square progress

Ran out of yarn

Ran out of yarn

 

But that gave me time to finish my Tanis Triangular shawl.  I did stop the lacy edge shorter than the pattern, and I am still very pleased with it.  It is already blocking.  I may have to wait a bit before wearing it, as Fall is not really here yet.  Today is a stunning 30 degrees Celsius here, very hot still.

Tanis Triangular Shawl – Now blocking

Tanis Triangular Shawl – Now blocking

Tanis Triangular Shawl – Now blocking

I may just knit another one of these, with the bigger lace edge, it is an absolutely stunning pattern, and it knits so extremely quickly and easily.

A busy crafty weekend

Tags

bear, bear fur, bears, birgit freyer, blanket, ceramic, ceramics, crochet blanket, granny squares, granny squares blanket, handknit, handknitted, handknitting, handmade, Handmade Bears, hartlam, hartlam yarns, Knitting, magazines, mongoose, Shawl, shetlace yarn, travel, undercoverotter, visits, weekend, yarn, yarncakes, yarns

It has been a lovely and busy crafty long weekend, and I am extremely happy with the time I could enjoy at home and out and about, still enjoying the last warm weather, as Fall has not arrived just yet and the days are still warm and so comfortable to be outside.  While visiting a friend in the countryside, these two came to visit and loved the fruits we shared with them.

Mother and Baby

 

Of course, I made the most of the time and cakes some yarns, cut the fabulous fur that I got from my sister for my next bear project and knitted on my Tanis Triangular Shawl.  The bear is slightly bigger than those I usually make, and I am so loving this fur.  My shawl is growing so fast, I am already at the lacy edge.

New Yarn

New Yarn

New Yarn

New Yarn

New Yarn

New Yarn

Becky Bear

Blue Shawl Progress

 

Sitting still and knitting and crafting was not all I did.  Having bought pretty little ceramic pieces and tiles over the last few months, it was time to get these into good use. A colleague (who knows me way to well) gave me two precious little wooden boxes, and I decorated them for use in my guest room / craft corner.  And as I love drinking tea, I made a stand for my teapot and another for my mugs.  (the last one still needs to dry a little longer before I dust off the grout)

Storage Boxes

Storage Boxes

Ceramics

 

And all my magazines got sorted and stored properly.  This little shelf is a self assembly project, and took a little work, but the holes were all pre-drilled and it was not to difficult in the end, with a little help of course.

Storage of Magazines

 

The granny square blanket is my daughter’s blanket, made for her more than twenty plus years ago, by my Grandmother, my daughters’ great-grandmother.  It is still in use and now have a precious place in my reading corner, along with my little porcelain doll that is more than 30 years old already.