What a weird week!

Yes it has been a completely weird week, absolutely freezing cold one day with fires lit and woollies dug out from drawers that haven't been used for months.  Then within a day or so it has been super hot and we're all in need of sunscreen again!!  So on those cold nights it has been so nice to add a few more squares to my blanket as it can keep me warm while I work.  For this pic, I had draped it over the sofa and it looked fantastic in a very retro kind of way.  But it's still a long way off being finished.  I think I've calculated that I need a total of 48 squares to cover a queen size bed.  Eeek - I hope I've bought enough wool to do the job!

I just about went nuts this week trying to make some wristwarmers from a pattern I've had for ages.  I spent last Sunday afternoon having a go at this pattern, then unravelling and doing it again.  Over and over - I think I wasted 3 hours before I gave up completely.  I just couldn't get it to work, I still don't know what the heck I was doing wrong.  So I decided to make something up myself and it worked first time!!  Thank goodness I had decided to scribble down what I was doing so I could remember when it came to making the second one!

They fit really well and will be a snuggly addition to my winter wardrobe.  I had loads of this deep navy coloured wool so a matching cowl was made too.  So if by chance you are as blonde as me and want a nice easy wristwarmer pattern - here's one to try.  It's in US terms and I used a 4.25mm hook with 8ply wool.  This fits a smallish sized hand, so just use a larger hook for larger sizes.

Ch27 and join with slip stitch to form circle.  Or if you're like me and always get this twisted, then don't join it up until the end of Round 1, then stitch in the tail when you're finished (soooo much easier!!).

Rd 1:  Ch2 then 1HDC in each stitch around.  Join with slip stitch.

Rd 2:  From this round onwards you will work into the spaces rather than the stitches.
Ch2 then 1HDC in each space around.  Join with sl st.  Repeat Rd 2 until required length from arm to wrist, then join with sl st.

Next round: Ch3 then in the same space 1DC, Ch1, 2DC.  *Skip 3 chain spaces then in the next space 2DC, Ch1, 2DC*.  Repeat from * to * around then join with sl st.

Next round:  Slip Stitch into next stitch then Ch3, 1DC into Ch1 space from previous round, Ch1, 2DC into same space.  From here on you will be making your stitches into the Ch1 space from the previous round,  *2DC, Ch1, 2DC*, repeat *to* to end of round, joining with a sl st.  repeat this round until you reach your desired length and fasten off.

For my smallish hand I made a total of 12 rows of HDC and then 5 rounds of the fan pattern.  I wanted the wrist part to be nice and snug.  The fan pattern gives it a bit of stretch so you're hand won't feel restricted.

10 more pairs of earrings almost ready to add to my little shop!  I love every single pair, so it's difficult not to keep them all.  The sooner I get them listed the better really!  Otherwise they might find their way into my jewellery box. 

Miss 4 and I had fun on Friday decorating hair clips with ribbon and sparkly bits and pieces.  She gave me a lesson on how to use a glue gun properly as they have them on their craft table at kindy.  How cute are these??  I think she did a fabulous job attaching all the sparkles.  My favourites are the red ones with the big purple glittery discs.  We might have to make some more of these, they'll make brilliant gifts for her little friends.

A few op shop treasures were found this week also.  My favourite being a black merino wrap dress (which just wouldn't co-operate for a picture!).  But these fabulous books were also a lovely find.  My brother used to read Beano when he was little so even though this is from 1989, my wee guy is loving it.  The Rupert book is gorgeous - it looks brand new and my small folk are loving having it read to them.

Caterpillar update .... this wee guy had us worried all afternoon on Thursday because we couldn't find him on the swan plant.  We came to the conclusion that a hungry bird must have spotted him and grabbed him for a meal.  But a few hours later we spotted him, a very long way from his original spot.  He had crawled all along my vege garden then found his way to our solar powered fairy lights.  Yes that's a light right beside him.  So before he disappeared into his little cocoon, he was just dangling there uncovered.  He must have got a heck of fright when the lights came on that evening!!  He seems happy enough thank goodness.  We have to wait patiently now and hopefully we won't miss him on his grand exit.  We missed him turning into this little beauty - it happened so quickly!

And to end my week, I had some lovely news from Karen telling me that I had won her fantastic giveaway!! I couldn't believe my luck.  Thank you Karen - it really made my day.

Well that's me for now.  Have a fabulous week, see you again soon.
Leah
xxxx

My week!

I think I need another week in Fiji ... I'm quite certain that is what I need. But alas, I'm home and to top it off I've not been feeling great. I was sick while we were away but it got worse on our return. Nasty chest problems - yuk. The small folk and my husband made me stay home and rest while they visited his parents on the weekend. So it seemed the perfect time to sit down and watch some terribly trashy TV while I made a gorgeous cowl. I had fallen in love with this wool last week and knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. A few hours later it was finished - super easy. And it's just the most perfect thing to keep a troubled chest warm and toasty. I have worn it everyday this week and have had lots of lovely comments.

Here is the wool/yarn - it's made in the UK and it's really lovely to work with. Super soft and snuggly and not the least bit itchy as it's a wool/acrylic mix.

And here is the cowl...

I absolutely adore the colour mix of this wool. Pink/purple/pale green/pale blue/grey - beautiful.

I couldn't sleep this morning and was up far too early so I decided to make a little headband for Miss 4. Her kindy was having a 'black' day today to celebrate the Rugby World Cup starting here tomorrow and to show their support for our All Blacks team. We had managed to put together a black outfit for her to wear (a real mission when she really only likes pink and red at the moment) so she was super excited this morning when she got up to find a new headband to go with the outfit. I am guessing their day will be spent getting face painted and practising the haka! My two can do a great rendition of the Ka Mate haka. For you lovely overseas folk who might not have a clue what I'm talking about, the haka is the challenge the All Blacks perform before a rugby test match. If you'd like see a haka, have a look here for one example. Now I'm not a huge rugby fan (sorry Dad!) but there is something about the haka that really gets to me and makes me proud to be a Kiwi.

A few weeks ago I was the lucky winner of a giveaway over at LeeAnn's Lovables. I was so excited to get home this morning and find a parcel waiting for me. I am so, so happy... this book is just stunning and I can't wait to start making some of these designs. There are some fabulous wee rectangular designs which look great so I shall start with them. There were also three beautiful hooks in the parcel - which will be put to very good use! Thank you so much LeeAnn - you've made my day!

Now I've been trying to get some decent pics of my op shop clothing finds but I am rubbish at getting good shots without everything looking wrinkly and horrible even though I've spent ages ironing (did I mention how much I hate ironing?). So I have crossed that off my list and will in future either have to just describe what I've bought, or show a close up pic of the fabric or something like that. Better still, I could learn how to photograph things properly I guess?

I did however manage to get a semi decent pic of a skirt I treated myself to this week. This one is a new skirt, not one of my op shop bargains. I did get it on sale though which is fabulous! It has quite a retro feel about it and I think it reminds me of an apron someone in my family had when I was a child - do you know what I mean?

Better still, it is printed with a hand-dyed/painted look about it with lots of little blobs of colour here and there to shadow images. So it will be perfect for me when I inevitably spill something on it - you'll never notice the difference!!! Brilliant.

Now for an op shop treasure. I thought someone must have made a mistake with the price tag on this one. $9 for this pretty piece! I have lots of lovely old bowls but I've never found one with a matching lid so I was totally thrilled to spot it. I can't wait to use this on the dinner table soon.

I had to pop this pic on too. My darling girl Bella, who is my constant crochet companion. Except for this particular day when the sun decided to come out. She spent the entire day following the patches of sunlight around the room and plonking herself down wherever the sun was. Ah - the life of a very spoilt cat.

I hope you're all having a fab week so far. Take care - see you again soon.

Leah
xxxx

Mother's Day & My New Cowl

I have been trying to finish this cowl all week but have only just managed to grab a few minutes to complete it. I absolutely love the finished item and can't wait to wear it! It's made of gorgeous pure New Zealand wool and is the loveliest mocha colour. I initially had visions of it being much wider so it could drape down one shoulder but remembered I had only bought 2 balls of wool so didn't have enough this time. And I'd bought the wool at the other end of the country when I was in Auckland so I couldn't just pop out and get some more - aaargh. I'm sure you can relate to that frustration! Anyway - a slightly less-wide version it is and it still looks fab. I have also made an extra band to draw one side together. It gives the cowl some variety, you can wear it plain and bunched around your neck, pulled up over your head to keep your ears warm or with the band wrapped around for a different look altogether.

And it's a great way to show off your favourite brooch/pin collection. This is one of the button brooches I made recently - it goes with the cowl perfectly. I haven't pulled the band too tight in this pic but it looks just a fab pulled in quite firmly. So here it is in separate bits. It was a nice easy project and I'm definitely going to make another one.

Using my favourite 4mm hook and double knit wool, I started with 52 chains which includes 2 turning chains, then DC each row (now 50 ch) working under the stitch. Keep working in DC rows until your cowl is approximately 60cm long. I then crocheted the seam together from the wrong side to give a smooth finish.

The additional band/cuff was made with 12 chains which includes 2 turning chains, then DC each row (now 10 ch) until you reach the desired length to fit around your cowl, taking into account a generous overlap so you can fasten it. Mine is approximately 30 cm with a good overlap so I can play with it and have a bit of variety in the way it fastens.

It's Mother's Day here today and my small people have made me feel like the best mum on earth. They were very eager to wake up this morning and bring me their special cards. Mr 6 is a bit of a charmer!Miss 3 (who will be Miss 4 next weekend!) drew a very fetching picture of me. That's me at the front with the big smile and long hair of course. The small one in the corner with the spiky hair is apparently Daddy. Handsome huh!!

The small folk have gone on an outing with Dad for the afternoon so I have had a lovely time in the kitchen making some treats for when they get home. For dessert tonight I have made this delicious Lemon Posset. I only tried this very recently at a wedding and I absolutely love it. Thank you to my dear friend Ange for letting me raid her lemon tree! These have to be the juiciest lemons I've ever cut into. Delicious.Next up is a tweaked version of a New Zealand classic - ANZAC biscuits. I have been making these for years and years the classic way, without the chocolate, and they are delicious. The chocolate was a recent addition one day when Miss 3 and Mr 6 couldn't agree on what sort of biscuits they wanted me to make, ANZACs or chocolate chip cookies, so in a fit of frustration I united the recipes and by crikey they are gorgeous! If you'd like to try this recipe - here it is:

100g butter
1 tablespoon golden syrup
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup coconut
3/4 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup plain flour
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon hot water

Melt the butter and golden syrup together in a saucepan. In another bowl mix together the sugar, flour, coconut and rolled oats (and chocolate if desired). Add the butter and golden syrup mixture to the dry ingredients and mix together. Dissolve the baking soda in the hot water then add to the mixture. Stir well. Roll into small balls and flatten with the palm of your hand and place on a greased or lined oven tray. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes or until golden. YUM!
I have been meaning to show you these little cuties for ages so while I remember, here they are. Another way to use up your lovely old buttons. Mix and match your buttons into little stacks, glue them on top of each other and then glue a magnet to the back. Voila - easy peasy magnets.

These usually live on my fridge but as it is currently covered in kindy artwork, it was a bit messy to photograph. I tried to take a lovely photo of them lazing on a pretty plate but the magnets kept chasing each other and sticking together - hilarious. So that's why they are on my jug - not at all where they normally live!

Have a fabulous week!