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.

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Just in time

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beanie, Beanies, cables, Hats, Johannesburg, knitting cables, knitting hats, Pompoms, winter

Just a quick update.  🙂

I finished the cabled beanie for myself on the weekend.  And just in time.

I woke this morning to a very wet and chilly Johannesburg.

Cabled Beanie 1

Cabled Beanie 1

Cabled Beanie 1

Happy crafting to all, and those down south, winter is here, keep warm.  🙂

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

Rainy weekend.

Tags

chilly weather, cold weather, Johannesburg, johannesburg weather, jozi, rain, rainy weather, travel, winter, winter is here

It has been a rainy weekend here.  I spent the time hibernating and knitting.  It was excellent weather to stay indoors and craft and create.  Not good light though for taking many photos of my knitting, but the wrap is receiving lots of love and attention.  I have ordered yarn for a crochet project, and it should be arriving today.  Yay.

So this is how it started on Friday afternoon, the rain and cold winds rolled in just as I arrived at the stores for delicious weekend goodies and warm snacks.

Big storms rolling in.

And on Sunday I spend a large part of the day having a Mother’s Day breakfast and shopping with my daughter.  The weather turned icy cold just as we arrived and it then rained some more, after raining the whole of Saturday as well. We spend the time well, shopping for winter beanies and warmers.  Breakfast was delicious and warm, and included lots and lots of very good coffee.

The mall is stunning, and I can never get enough of the architecture and beauty of the design.

Still wet and chilly.

Cold and wet and grey out there.  It is definitely winter here now, and I am very happy with the colder weather. The trees are turning colour, and soon everything will be covered with a blanket of leaves.  I love this time of the year.

 

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!

Completed winter projects

Tags

alpaca, cowl, crochet, Handmake, Knitting, scarf, Shawl, swap goodies, swaps, winter, yarns

With the weather suddenly warming (literally overnight) to the late 20’s here in Johannesburg, I think I finished the warmer knitting just in time.

I finished knitting my grey Alpaca Wrap, and even got some cute labels and a tiny ceramic flower to add to it.

It turned out beautifully.  I may keep it around during Spring and Summer even, as we may just have a cool evening so such that I can drape it around me to snuggle up nice and cosy.

Grey Alpaca Wrap

Grey Alpaca Wrap

Grey Alpaca Wrap

These two wrap scarves knitted up in a matter of days.  The yarn is amazingly soft and light.  If we have another chilly day or two, they will be perfect.

Wrap Scarf

Wrap Scarf

I also received a beautiful package all the way from Slovenia.  In the package was awesome treats and goodies, including very fine crocheted earrings.  So delicate.  I got Slovenian knitting yarn, and the finest crochet cotton I have seen in a very long time.  These I have to try, but I will be looking for a very special pattern.

Package Gifts and Goodies from Slovenia

Package Gifts and Goodies from Slovenia

Package Gifts and Goodies from Slovenia

The doily is already in use in my kitchen, it is perfect, and adds a gorgeous splash of summer sun and colour.

 

Knitting is happening

Tags

autumn, beanie, cowl, daughter, handmade, Handmake, Knitting, mittens, on my needles, speckled yarn, speckledyarn, winter, yarns

Knitting is definitely happening.

Finished a quick pair of speckled mittens for my daughter and another beanie for my son in law.

Beanie and Mittens

Mittens

Beanie

 

I dropped by my local Yarn Shop, and I just could not resist these.  They are nice and soft and a bit on the bulky side.

On my Needles

On my Needles

Of course, they seemed to have already found their way onto my needles.  I will probably be knitting more summery goodies soon, as the days here are already getting warmer, but for now I am quickly doing a few last warm winter goodies.

Happy crafting all.

Winter Break update

Tags

alpaca, autumn, beanie, bear, bears, bunny, ceramic, ceramics, cross stitch, daughter, embroidery, fairies, handmade, handmade bear, Handmake, Knitting, lace, make-over, manos, miniature bear, mittens, paint, speckled yarn, speckledyarn, stellarfibreworks, tiles, winter, yarns

It has been my annual Winter Break and I have enjoyed the break so much.Getting away from the busy work and office is sometimes just what a person needs.

Miekie and I both enjoyed to lazy cold mornings, and spent the time having lazy, slow breakfasts before we started the day.

I got time to catch up on some reading, specially on some of my loved magazines.

The usual amount of knitting definitely took place.  My Alpaca Wrap is now already half way there.  I finished a Manos del Uruguay beanie for my son in law, and have another on the needles for him.  And my daughter is getting matching mittens to wear with her speckled wrap.

Grey Alpaca Wrap

Speckled Mittens

Green knitted beanie

Beanies

With me being home and able to work during the sunnier parts of the day, I could also work on more delicate projects.  One of these were these little fairies in cross stitch.  According to the instructions of the kit, you only stitch areas you want to highlight.  What a lot of fun they are.  Nearly done, and then I will frame them and find a special place for them.

Fairy Cross Stitch Work

Fairy Cross Stitch Work

Wilbur the Bear is now no longer a kit sitting on the table.  I cut the pattern pieces and am ready to start stitching him together.  I want to add a few things, and have gotten cute silk ribbon roses and antique looking buttons as well.  I suspect Wilbur will be a girl bear in the end and may need another name.

Wilmot Handmade Bear

Wilmot Handmade Bear

This wooden box had been around my home for a bit, being used on the odd occasion for this and that.  I finally decided to put it to proper use, give it a complete makeover and keep it around.  So with rather a lot of layers of paint, I was able to smooth it over, and stop it from showing up a nasty stain through each layer of paint.  Finished it off with a bit of pretty lace and a cute ceramic bunny.  Now I can keep it around for any little project or storage.  Sometimes these little wooden boxes are all you need.

Wooden Box Makeover

Wooden Box Makeover

Wooden Box Makeover

Wooden Box Makeover

Wooden Box Makeover

Wooden Box Makeover

While waiting for a friend the other day to arrive for a cup of coffee and a chat, I ended up browsing in a little shop.  I could not resist these cute tiles.  I think I will use the smaller ones as memo magnets and the bigger one will be just perfect for a mug cozy.

Little Ceramic Tiles

It’s Winter

Tags

alpaca, beanie, cowl, daughter, foggy, glitter, handmade, Handmake, Johannesburg, knitpro zing, Knitting, lace yarn, manos, manosdeluruguay, misty, rowan kidsilk, rowan yarn, sparkle, speckledyarn, winter, winterwrap, Wrap, yarns

Winter has now arrived and settled in good and properly.  We have even had a few very cold and eerily foggy misty days.  I loved it.  This is definitely the most favourite time of the year for me.

These are just a little view of how it looked, the photos of the roads was in the afternoon going home, and the others were taken in the mornings when I arrived at my place of work.  And yes, we drive on the “other side” of the road for those who may have wondered.  🙂

Winter June 2016

Winter June 2016

Winter June 2016

Winter June 2016

 

It did then also mean lots of knitting and crafting.  I finished the dark grey cowl for my daughter.  She really got cute yarn, and the speckles in this dark one is even prettier and brighter than the previous one.

Dark Grey Speckled Cowl

Dark Grey Speckled Cowl

 

Of course, new WIP’s are on the needles as well.  I started another beanie for my son in law, in lovely warm Manos del Uruguay.  It is knitting up so fast.  And I started a wrap for myself.  This is Alpaca yarn from Turkey and I am absolutely loving it.

Rare Earth Beanie

Grey Alpaca Wrap

Grey Alpaca Wrap

Grey Alpaca Wrap

 

When I dropped in at my LYS during last week, they had Rowan Kidsilk available at a discounted price.  How awesome. I simply could not resist getting these dark jewel colours, each with a bit of sparkle of its own.  Then I also spoiled myself with some new KnitPro Zing needles, in the smaller sizes, ideal for lace and sock knitting.  They were a bit extensive compared to others, however I just know they will be worth the price.

If you are using these needles already, let me know what you thought of them.  🙂

Rowan Kidsilk Yarns

New Lace / Sock needles

 

Happy crafting all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some finished items, a bit of progress and a new project

Tags

chunky, cowl, crochet, crochet doily, daughter, filet crochet, handmade, Handmake, Knitting, lace knitting, lace yarn, scarf, Shawl, tapestry, tapestry stitching, vintage, vintage crochet, winter

Finally I was able to finish the Leaf border shawl I was working on, and I also finished the Vintage Doily I was working on.  I want to crochet more, this is always such a fun time and one of the crafts I absolutely love.  They both still need to be blocked, but I will wait for a lovely warm sunny weekend firstly.

Leaf Border Shawl

Leaf Border Shawl

Leaf Border Shawl

Vintage Crochet Doily

Vintage Crochet Doily

Vintage Crochet Doily

My little tapestry with the Kitty on is nearly done as well.  Just a few more areas and then the white.  It gets dark earlier now, and I am really only able to work on this little one during the day when I am at home and its bright still.

Tapestry stitching

Tapestry stitching

And I am ready to cast on.  This is such a beautiful yarn.  Warm and chunky with a super cute colourful speckle in it.  It is a little something for my daughter, and it is going to be a super quick knit.

Grey Speckled Cowl

Grey Speckled Cowl

Grey Speckled Cowl