Natural Suburbia

Yarn Along

2012-02-01T14:37:00.001+02:00

Lots of knitting and making has been happening here this week, I am almost finished with Kye's woven rainbow scarf for winter, just green, blue and purple to go. We all worked on it initially but then it became mama's project to finish:) He loves the colour and the softness. Jenna's Harris Shrug is moving along at a slow pace but I am getting there, with Richard being away until Saturday, I am knitting more at night so I am sure most of these projects will be close to finished by the end of the week.

I have also had orders to make this week, one local for chickens and one international for a knitted lion. Lastly, I designed a new pattern this week for a Meerkat which will be going into my book due to be published this year, I think I am going to work on a Jackal pattern next:)

I am still reading through The Charlotte Mason Companion, such a wonderful resource for homeschooling...

I am joining in with Ginny this week for the Yarn Along.

Woven Rainbow Scarf

February Sponsors

2012-02-01T07:46:00.001+02:00

Welcome to our February sponsors:

The Enchanted Cupboard:
The most gorgeous hand crafted and hand painted treasures, toys, play silks and wedding cake toppers.

Vistaprint :
Offering wonderful printed cards, calenders and business cards.

Natural Kids:

A lovely group of artisans creating the most beautiful heirloom and natural products for children and their families.

Woolies:

At Woolies you will find the most beautiful heirloom quality stuffed animals and toys made from natural materials.

Ecomilf

A truly lovely eco friendly blog with pages of delicious recipes, natural cleaning recipes for your home, gardening and crafting. A wonderful place to visit...

Thank you so much to my lovely sponsors.

Please do visit their wonderful shops and see what they have to offer.

For sponsorship / advertising information you can contact me at: lindadawkins@mweb.co.za

Bird Life

2012-01-31T17:03:00.001+02:00

I was quietly sitting in my studio, working on my computer when I heard this commotion outside on the bird feeder. When I looked outside, I saw a male Red Bishop feeding his baby seed! Luckily, my camera was right behind me on the desk, I grabbed it and waited for the right shot. I don't know about you, but when I wait for the right moment to take a photo, I get almost nervous... I really don't want to miss the perfect shot, sometimes I almost feel as if my hand is shaking from excitement and then I press that button on my camera... and how amazing it feels when there it is... Today was kind of like that with these two birds.

I'm not sure at all but isn't it unusual for the male to be feeding his young? I have seen him in the garden over the last few days with his little one. It's too gorgeous, really, he follows this young Bishop all over and the minute another bird comes near, he puffs up his chest so much, makes a tremendous noise and swoops down on them, chasing them away!

I am so happy I was able to capture him feeding seed to this little one whose wings kept flapping so furiously and tweeting at the same time as if to say, "Hurry up dad, I'm hungry!!" The male would fill up his beak with seed and then feed it all to his little one, a precious moment indeed!

And then this Grey Lourie arrived on the scene, spread out his wings and all bird life cleared the area.

I just want to thank everyone who wrote to me about the 'embedded comments' on my blog, magically when I did my next post, the button started to work, I am so happy about this, now I can reply to your comments as they are posted :)

My hubby is off to London tonight until Saturday for business, we have never been apart this long, I am going to miss him tremendously....

Weekending

2012-01-30T17:56:00.002+02:00

It has been the busiest of weekends, Jenna, Erin and Caiden had a Sea Scout and Cub canoe polo match on Sunday and went to practice on Friday night and Saturday. Caiden scored two goals, the seniors came first the juniors came second, so wonderful! I managed to also do some book work on Sunday and designed a pattern for a South African Meerkat. This pattern will be going into my book, I am enjoying the book writing process very much:)

Erin has been making seed pictures with cold glue and various seeds. She just drew a picture on a piece of card, drew over the pencil with cold glue and added various seeds, she loved doing this.

Help!
I have been trying to add the 'embedded comments' feature to my blog so that I can reply to everyones' comments as they come in, I have managed to add this by changing comments to 'embedded comments' on Blogger, but when I click on 'reply' to comment, nothing happens. I was wondering if anyone has ever experienced this and perhaps added an 'html' code to make it magically work? If you did and succeeded, oh please, please could you let me know how, I have been trying to figure out what to do, but alas, no luck yet...

******Update******
Thank you so much to everyone for their help, the 'reply' commenting is working! Just wonderful!

Looking Up...

2012-01-28T15:02:00.002+02:00

I know this may seem a little strange to see a blog post with a whole collection of ceiling photos, but this is one of the aspects I love about our home and I wanted to document it somewhere, I felt this was the right place. Our home was built in 1927, a year before my dad was born. All these years ago it was quite fashionable for homes to have metal pressed ceilings. It makes me think about the history of our home, the people that lived here many years before us and who they were. I wonder what they thought about the ceilings?

Is there an area of your home that you particularly love, do tell us about it...

Creative Friday

2012-01-27T08:46:00.000+02:00

Welcome to Creative Friday!
I have been working on this Valentine garland and now it's finished, it makes me smile... I have knitted so many hearts, all different shapes and sizes, you can find the patterns here and here. For the garland, I cast on 5 stitches and knitted an i-cord for about 25 inches, cast off and left a long tail of yarn. When I cast on I also left a long tail of yarn, these are for attaching the garland for it to hang across a space. I tied all the little hearts on with bows so they can be removed and other treasures added for different holidays.

About Creative Friday:

To add this button to your blog, right click on it and 'save picture as' to your photos. Then add it as a gadget / picture to your blog on your blogs design page with a link to my blog address:)

Thank you so much to everyone who shares the love and posts their links to their amazing work:) Please feel free to post your links to anything you have created and would like to share, it can be a recipe, sewing tutorial, knitting tutorial, felting, crochet, crafts, art, spinning, weaving, working with fibre, photography, poetry...etc...

I also love to hear from you, so if you have a moment, please leave a comment:) Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful talent with us! Just add the name of your blog to the widget and then add your blog link with the http:// at the beginning of your link address:) I have added a Creative Friday button on the sidebar of my blog, please feel free to add it to your blog for Creative Friday and link it to http://www.naturalsuburbia.blogspot.com/ so others can find this space and share their creativity too:)

1. I have started a Creative Friday Flickr Group where you can post your beautiful photos that you link to each Creative Friday.

2. If you would be so kind as to link back to Natural Suburbia in your blog post that would be lovely:)

Have a wonderful day,
xo

Ready for Another Valentine Heart Pattern? Yarn Along

2012-01-24T18:28:00.001+02:00

I know, I have been knitting a lot of hearts... I love knitting them and the other night while dozing off to sleep, I thought about this heart within a heart. I thought about how I could place a small heart-shaped opening right in the centre of a knitted heart. So, this is what I came up with, starting off with one piece, knitting up each side, one at a time and then joining again at the top. I think they are perfect for decorating gifts for birthdays, holidays, Valentine's Day etc...

I am going to put all these little hearts together and make a garland...

Materials:
Oddments of DK or hand spun yarn, I tried both and found the DK to work the best as it gives a wonderful heart shape.
4mm needles
Sewing up needle

Pattern:
Cast on 2 stitches
Row 1: Knit
Row 2: kfb into the front stitch and kfb into the second stitch. (4 stitches)
Continue alternating these two rows until you have 8 stitches on the needle.
Knit 4 stitches, turn work (you can leave the remaining stitches on the other needle)
Knit 2 together, knit 1, kfb, turn work
Knit 4, turn work
Knit 2 together, knit 1, kfb, turn work
Knit 4, turn work
Knit 2 tog, knit 1, kfb, turn work
Knit 4, turn work
Knit 4 rows, turn work

Cast on 5 stitches.

Cast off 2 stitches (cast off by knitting 2 stitches and taking the back stitch over the front stitch, then knitting another stitch and then taking the back stitch over the front stitch) knit 4 stitches, knit 2 together, turn work.
Knit 6 stitches

Put these 6 stitches on a stitch holder. Break yarn.
Join ball of yarn to the stitches in the middle of the heart, and now to knit the other side of the heart.
Knit 2 together, knit 1, kfb, turn work
Knit 4 stitches, turn work
Knit 2 together, knit 1, kfb, turn work
Knit 4 stitches, turn work
Knit 2 together, knit 1, kfb, turn work
Knit 4 stitches, turn work
Knit 4 rows, turn work,
Cast on 5 stitches, cast off 2 stitches, knit 4 stitches, knit 2 together, as you did above for the other top of the heart.

Place all the stitches on one needle.
Knit 1 row with all stitches.
Knit 6 stitches, turn work.
Knit 2 together, knit 2, knit 2 together, turn (4 stitches on working needle)
Knit stitches on working needle, turn
Knit 2 together, knit 2 together, turn
Knit 2 together.
Bind off
This is the top of one side of the heart finished.

Now to finish the other top of the heart. Attach the yarn at the middle of the heart , shown in the above photo.
Knit 6 stitches,
Knit 2 together, knit 2, knit 2 together,
Knit row
Knit 2 together, knit 2 together,
Knit 2 together.
Bind off

Once your little heart is finished, you can begin sewing in all the ends. The two pieces in the centre that were 'cast off' need to be sewn together all the way down to form the heart shape. I usually leave long ends when I cast off the top pieces, then I sew them in towards the centre and have long pieces of yarn on the top that can be braided etc...

Please note, this pattern is for personal use only:)

Have a lovely week:)
Happy knitting
xo

Green...

2012-01-22T20:29:00.000+02:00

Green... food for the soul...

A Simple Valentine Heart Pattern and Out In the Garden

2012-01-21T20:36:00.000+02:00

I've been knitting more hearts today, I just love them! They are addictive, so quick and easy to make and amazing for yarn bombing too! I have knitted so many, they just seem to knit themselves, so here we go, you can knit a few too if you want, but I warn you, once you start, you won't be able to stop:)

Materials:
4mm needles
Yarn compatible with 4mm, I have used hand spun stash.
Needles for sewing ends

Pattern: (This one is the heart with a little cross in the middle, I will also include the basic heart pattern below which is just garter stitch.)

All my increases are kfb (knit front and back ie. knit into the front of the stitch and then before you move the stitch off the needle, knit into the back of the stitch too, this makes the extra stitch:)

Cast on 2 stitches
Row 1: Knit
Row 2: kfb on both ends of this knit row. (4 stitches)
Continue alternating these 2 rows until you have 10 stitches.
Knit row
kfb into the first stitch, k 3, p 2 middle stitches, k 3 and kfb into the last st. (12 stitches)
knit row
kfb into the first st, k2, p 6, k2, kfb into the last st.
knit row
kfb into the first stitch, k5, p2, k5, kfb into the last stitch (16 stitches)
knit 4 rows
k 8 stitches, turn work (the remaining stitches can stay on the needle or you can put them on a stitch holder).
k 2 tog, k4, k 2 tog, turn work (6 stitches on your working needle)
knit row, turn work
k2 tog, k 2, k 2 tog, turn work (4 stitches on your working needle)
k row, turn work
k 2 tog, k 2 tog, turn work(2 stitches on your working needle)
k 2 tog
cast off

Now attach the yarn to the remaining stitches at the centre of the heart:
k 8 stitches, turn
k 2 tog, k4, k 2 tog, turn (6 stitches on your working needle)
knit row, turn
k2 tog, k 2, k 2 tog, turn (4 stitches on your working needle)
k, turn
k 2 tog, k 2 tog, turn (2 stitches on your working needle)
k 2 tog
cast off
I sew all my ends to the centre of the little hearts so I can crochet a loop to make a holder on the top.

Basic Heart Pattern: (garter stitch only)
Cast on 2 stitches
Row 1: Knit
Row 2: KFB on both ends of this knit row. (4 stitches)
Continue alternating these 2 rows until you have 16 stitches.
Knit 4 rows.
k 8 stitches, turn (the remaining stitches can stay on the needle or you can put them on a stitch holder).
k 2 tog, k4, k 2 tog, turn (6 stitches on your working needle)
knit row, turn
k2 tog, k 2, k 2 tog, turn (4 stitches on your working needle)
k, turn
k 2 tog, k 2 tog, turn (2 stitches on your working needle)
k 2 tog
cast off

Now attach the yarn to the remaining stitches at the centre of the heart:
k 8 stitches, turn
k 2 tog, k4, k 2 tog, turn (6 stitches on your working needle)
knit row, turn
k2 tog, k 2, k 2 tog, turn (4 stitches on your working needle)
k, turn
k 2 tog, k 2 tog, turn (2 stitches on your working needle)
k 2 tog
cast off

If there are any errors in the patterns I do apologise most sincerely, do let me know though and I will fix them right away:)

Please note these patterns are for personal use only:)

I have discovered what the strange tomato was that was growing in our veggie garden!!! It is called an Ox Heart Tomato! Yay! I am going to save seeds and dry them out on the kitchen windowsill for future planting. I think it was Carrie who suggested Ox Heart, thanks Carrie!

This is what we discovered on the mesh roof of our veggie garden today, what an exciting find! We planted quite a few heirloom seeds in our garden, it was great fun, the tomatoes took over just slightly (as they tend to do) and torrential rain rinsed out most of our labels in the veg beds and displaced a few of the seeds, so now we have these amazing surprises coming up all over the place. I am still not sure what this is I'm sad to say, but I can't wait to find out, I thought it was a marrow or a squash but the skin is so smooth and now they are rounding out. We also planted sugar baby watermelons and we will just have to wait and see, unless you could tell me perhaps?

There are quite a few, as you can see.

The Spearmint is flowering in our kitchen windowbox and each time we brush past it on our way into the house, a heavenly scent goes wafting up through the air.

The Echinacea are in full bloom, so beautiful...
Have a wonderful day...

Creative Friday: A Stick Weaving Tutorial

2012-01-20T14:10:00.002+02:00

Welcome to Creative Friday!
When I was little, about seven or eight years old, my mom bought me a plastic weaving kit. It consisted of a few straight pieces of plastic about the same length as these wooden dowels with small openings on the ends. Long lengths of wool were attached through the openings on the ends of the plastic sticks. Do you remember these? I used to weave myself and my dolls scarves and little carpets and after all these years, I can still remember how much I loved this process of weaving. I don't know what happened to my little weaving set, perhaps I must ask my mom if it is somewhere in her garage, it's possible:) Yesterday, I thought it would really be fun if I made my own set using wood. I bought a few dowels and my wonderful man helped me to cut and drill the dowels last night.

We have been having tremendous fun today weaving this rainbow scarf. It really is a wonderful project that anyone can do, even Kye who is 5, sat down and loved wrapping the wool around each individual stick. I am going to cut another six pieces and make a table runner, should be fun.

This is how we made our weaving sticks:

I used a 10mm dowel that I bought from the hardware shop.
We the dowel into six pieces, each measuring seven inches long.
Sand off the rough edges.
Sand the one end to make a slight curve.
Drill a hole about half an inch up from the base of each dowel, drill straight through each dowel.

Weaving:
I used chunky, natural wool and threaded it through the holes in each dowel, I doubled the wool and it is about 1 metre long, hanging double. This is what your weaving will go around as you move it down the dowel sticks.
Tie your first colour of chunky wool to one of the side dowels and hold them all of them together. This can be a little tricky as nothing is holding them firmly yet, but as you weave they become sturdy.

Wrap the wool in and out of the individual dowels, going around the outer ones and then weaving in and out of the others. I weave near the base of the dowels, it makes the work firm and it is also easier to slide the weaving down when it is near the base.

Once the weaving is about half way up the dowels, you can just gently move it down one dowel at a time. Hold your work and gently pull up each dowel, make sure you leave some weaving on the sticks, don't move everything down because this will make the sticks loose.

When you want to add a new colour, tie it on at the back of the work and cut the old colour, leave long pieces so they can be sewn in and continue weaving.

Once you are finished weaving, tie the colour to the work and tie the white wool together, through the end of the colourful weaving, leaving tassels, so that it does not unravel.

Happy weaving!

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To add this button to your blog, right click on it and 'save picture as' to your photos. Then add it as a gadget / picture to your blog on your blogs design page with a link to my blog address:)

About Creative Friday:

Thank you so much to everyone who shares the love and posts their links to their amazing work:) Please feel free to post your links to anything you have created and would like to share, it can be a recipe, sewing tutorial, knitting tutorial, felting, crochet, crafts, art, spinning, weaving, working with fibre, photography, poetry...etc...

I also love to hear from you, so if you have a moment, please leave a comment:) Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful talent with us! Just add the name of your blog to the widget and then add your blog link with the http:// at the beginning of your link address:) I have added a Creative Friday button on the sidebar of my blog, please feel free to add it to your blog for Creative Friday and link it to http://www.naturalsuburbia.blogspot.com/ so others can find this space and share their creativity too:)

1. I have started a Creative Friday Flickr Group where you can post your beautiful photos that you link to each Creative Friday, to join the group, please go here.

Yay!! Thanks so much to those who have joined the Creative Friday Flickr Group, it is wonderful to see your photos!

2. If you would be so kind as to link back to Natural Suburbia in your blog post that would be lovely:)

Have a wonderful day,
xo
Linda

Beautiful Creatures

2012-01-19T13:35:00.000+02:00

I have been wanting to share these photos with you since we returned from holiday in Clarens. I'm not entirely sure what this little creature is in the above photo, he has a short tail and is terribly sweet. We named him Humphrey, I think the name Humphrey suits him tremendously:) Each morning, Humphrey would scoot out from the thick foliage onto the lawn and eat the grass. He was so entertaining to watch, just look at those eyes...

Ahhh and this beautiful bird, I think, is called a Marico Sunbird. He would fly around our home all day long landing only for short periods of time to feast on the Red Hot Poker flowers that were flowering in the garden. He was so beautiful and had such a melodious call.

We have these flowers growing here at home, but I think I must divide the roots and vary the areas where they are planted to attract more of these creatures to our garden.

Hope you are having an inspiring day...

Valentine, Heart Shaped Kitchen Trivet Pattern

2012-01-17T17:58:00.003+02:00

I have knitted up this simple Valentine Pot Trivet for our kitchen. I need a few of these and I will probably knit up a few for my mom too. They are really easy to make, just garter stitch with increasing and decreasing and sewing in ends. You could also crochet a sweet border around your heart if you wish or just leave it as is. I think having little heart trivets adorning the kitchen counter tops will make me smile whenever I see them...

Materials:

Chunky cotton
6mm needles
Wool sewing up needle

Pattern:

Cast on 1 stitch
Row 1: Knit
Row 2: Increase 1 stitch at the beginning of the row, knit across the row, increase 1 stitch at the end of the row.
Row 3: Knit row
Continue alternating these rows 2 and 3 until you have 23 stitches on the needle.
Knit 1 row.
Knit row and increase one stitch in the middle of the row, you now have 24 stitches.
Knit another 6 rows.

Now you are going to knit the two top areas of the heart separately.

Knit 12 stitches, turn work, (the remaining stitches will be held by the other needle until you need them or you can put them on a stitch holder)
Knit 2 stitches together, k 8, knit 2 stitches together, turn, (10 stitches)
Knit 10 stitches, turn,
Knit 2 stitches together, k 6, knit 2 stitches together, turn (8 stitches)
Knit 8 stitches, turn
Knit 2 stitches together, knit 4 stitches, knit 2 stitches together, turn (6 stitches)
Knit 6 stitches, turn
Knit 2 stitches together, k 2, knit 2 stitches together, turn (4 stitches)
Knit 4 stitches, turn
Knit 2 stitches together, knit 2 stitches together, turn (2 stitches)
Knit 2 stitches together (1 stitch)
Cast off

Return to your knitting that is on the needle and attach the cotton at the middle of the heart.
This will be the other top of the heart.
Knit 12 stitches, turn,
Knit 2 stitches together, k 8, knit 2 stitches together, turn, (10 stitches)
Knit 10 stitches, turn,
Knit 2 stitches together, k 6, knit 2 stitches together, turn (8 stitches)
Knit 8 stitches, turn
Knit 2 stitches together, knit 4 stitches, knit 2 stitches together, turn (6 stitches)
Knit 6 stitches, turn
Knit 2 stitches together, k 2, knit 2 stitches together, turn (4 stitches)
Knit 4 stitches, turn
Knit 2 stitches together, knit 2 stitches together, turn (2 stitches)
Knit 2 stitches together (1 stitch)
Cast off

Sew in all the ends and you have a pot trivet for your kitchen:)

***If you would like to make your trivet larger, just continue increasing either side of the alternating rows, knit straight for a few rows as per pattern instructions, you might have to add a few more straight rows for the increased size. Remember to increase 1 stitch in the middle to make your pattern an even number of stitches and then when you are happy with the size, start casting off one top edge at a time, 2 stitches per row alternating with knit rows ending with one stitch on each top edge.***

Happy knitting!

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Easy Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe

2012-01-16T18:47:00.001+02:00

Thanks so much for your lovely comments about the Valentine bookmark pattern, you are all so kind. Today has been a busy day, we are back into the full swing of homeschooling and tonight I am making something easy and simple for supper, spaghetti bolognese. This is such a quick and tasty recipe, it takes about 30 minutes to make the mince and then boil the spaghetti and you are finished.

I have also been working on my blog a little, I have discovered tabs! I have started adding them to the top of my blog, I have only added one so far called Recipes. These are such clever little things because now I can add all my recipes in one place, just click on the Recipe tab above to view them. I will add others soon for tutorials and patterns too:)

Now for the recipe...

Ingredients:
450 grams of lean mince
2 tablespoons of Olive oil
1 Large brown onion cubed
250mls of Vegetable or beef stock
Black pepper
Herb salt
2 tsp of Garlic
1 can of tomato and onion relish
Organic Spaghetti
Cheddar cheese
Parmesan cheese

Method:
Add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan, 2 teaspoons of fresh chopped garlic and the diced onion.
Stir until the onions are a golden brown colour.
Add the lean mince and cook, stirring continuously, until brown and all the raw areas have disappeared.
Pour in approx 250 ml of veggie or beef stock and stir.
Add the tin of tomato and onion relish.

There should be quite a lot of liquid in the pan now, turn down the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.

That is all:)

Boil your organic spaghetti until al dente and then serve.
Sprinkle a little cheddar and Parmesan cheese over your dish and add salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy and have a lovely day!

Valentine, Heart Bookmark Knitting Pattern

2012-01-14T18:41:00.002+02:00

While pottering around the bookshelf today, I rediscovered an old edition of Pride and Prejudice, the pages are all brown, it has that old book smell, and it is beautifully bound. Don't you just love this about old books? I found it in a thrift shop years ago. I did receive an i-pad for Christmas and I do love being able to carry it around and read my Kindle books off of it and write notes for my book, but to me there is nothing like holding a real book in my hands, the feel of the pages, the paper, sometimes mat and smooth, sometimes rough and thick..... oh I do love books!

So while looking through this wonderful book, a book that I first read years ago when I was in school, I thought I would knit a simple and easy bookmark that could be a gift for Valentine's Day. It has a small heart at the base and is knitted in garter and stocking stitch with a small loop at the top.

I have knitted mine in red for the occasion of Valentine's Day, but it would look beautiful in a cream cotton for instance, too.

Materials:
Dk Merino or cotton oddments of yarn, perhaps 20 grams
4mm straight needles
Wool needle for sewing in the ends
Scissors
Fun!

Pattern:
Cast on 15 stitches
Knit 3 rows in garter stitch
Row 4: Knit 3, purl 9, knit 3
Row 5: Knit
Row 6: Knit 3, purl 9, knit 3
Row 7: Knit
Row 8: Knit 3, purl 9, knit 3
Row 9: Knit 7, purl 1, knit7
Row 10: Knit 3, purl 3, knit 3, purl 3, knit3
Row 11: Knit 5, purl 5, knit 5
Row 12: Knit 3, purl 1, knit 7, purl 1, knit3
Row 13: Knit 4, purl 7, knit 4
Row 14: Knit 3, purl1, knit 7, purl 1, knit 3
Row 15: Knit 4, purl 3, knit 1, purl 3, knit 4
Row 16: Knit 3, purl 1, knit 3, purl 1, knit 3, purl 1, knit 3
Row 17: Knit 5, purl 1, knit 3, purl 1, knit 5
Row 18: Knit 3, purl 9, knit 3
Row 19: Knit
Row 20: Knit 3, purl 9, knit 3
Continue alternating rows 19 and 20 until the bookmark measures 7 inches finishing on a wrong side row.

Knit 2 together, knit 1, purl 1, knit 7, purl 1, knit 1, knit 2 together. (13 stitches)
Knit 3, purl 7, knit 3
Knit 2 together, knit 1, purl1, knit 5, purl 1, knit 1, knit 2 together. (11 stitches)
Knit 3, purl 5, knit 3
Knit 2 together, knit 1, purl 5, knit 1, knit 2 together. (9 stitches)
Knit 2 together, knit 5, knit 2 together (7 stitches)
Knit 2 together, knit 3, knit 2 together (5 stitches)
Knit 2 together, knit 1, knit 2 together (3 stitches)

Loop:
Alternate these 2 rows for 2 inches
Knit 1, purl 1, knit 1
Purl 1, knit 1, purl 1
Cast off
Sewing Up:
Sew in all the ends and bend loop to the back and sew in to form a loop.

Blocking:
Dampen the bookmark and pin into shape on a soft, firm surface.
Wait for it to dry and then you are finished!

Happy knitting:)

Creative Friday

2012-01-13T09:10:00.001+02:00

Welcome to Creative Friday!
Thank you so much for visiting this space.

Yesterday was a wonderful day, it was Richard's birthday. We started the day by cooking a huge breakfast and opening presents, after he went off to work Erin and I baked shortbread (his favourite), a chocolate cake and spaghetti bolognese for dinner (recipe to follow soon).
I was also thrilled to discover that some of our Indian Corn was ready to be picked and love the colours! I have left some to dry out for seed for next year's planting.

Here are some photos of our baking, cooking, veggies, our first apple and our wonderful celebration with the best man I know and love:)

To add this button to your blog, right click on it and 'save picture as' to your photos. Then add it as a gadget / picture to your blog on your blogs design page with a link to my blog address:)

About Creative Friday:

Thank you so much to everyone who shares the love and posts their links to their amazing work:) Please feel free to post your links to anything you have created and would like to share, it can be a recipe, sewing tutorial, knitting tutorial, felting, crochet, crafts, art, spinning, weaving, working with fibre, photography, poetry...etc...

I also love to hear from you, so if you have a moment, please leave a comment:) Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful talent with us! Just add the name of your blog to the widget and then add your blog link with the http:// at the beginning of your link address:) I have added a Creative Friday button on the sidebar of my blog, please feel free to add it to your blog for Creative Friday and link it to http://www.naturalsuburbia.blogspot.com/ so others can find this space and share their creativity too:)

1. I have started a Creative Friday Flickr Group where you can post your beautiful photos that you link to each Creative Friday, to join the group, please go here.

Yay!! Thanks so much to those who have joined the Creative Friday Flickr Group, it is wonderful to see your photos!

2. If you would be so kind as to link back to Natural Suburbia in your blog post that would be lovely:)

Have a wonderful day,

xo
Linda

Yarn Along

2012-01-11T00:05:00.002+02:00

It's finished at last!
I have loved working through this project, firstly because I learned a new skill, Crochetnit and also because the pointed edge section cast off is simply brilliant and I am so happy that I now know how to do this technique! I could hardly believe it when I didn't have to cast off each individual point but simply carried on knitting!! I love it! The pattern is available on Ravelry here.
The mat measures about 1 metre wide, I made it a little larger than the pattern. I must say I was quite daunted at first, I had no idea what this crochetnit was all about and as you know I haven't mastered the art of crochet yet. This will be the year I will, hopefully. I watched a video on You Tube and then I was set, it really turned out to be an easy project. I also had to get used to the double hooked crochet hook and crocheting with two different yarns at the same time on each end of the hook.
Joining with Ginny's Yarn Along.

Tomato and Onion Soup Recipe

2012-01-09T09:18:00.002+02:00

Yesterday I spent most of the afternoon fighting my way through the tomato and pumpkin area of our veggie garden. You have no idea how crazy plants can get if they are left to their own devices for a week. It was wonderful though, to be working amongst the veggies and discovering hidden treasures amongst the foliage. There was slight drizzling of rain, the perfect weather for garden work. I managed to collect quite a few tomatoes from the heart of the mass of plants and they taste so sweet, so good indeed!

I also got a head start on those weeds that like to grow all over the place. With all the rain we have been having, they are huge! The ground is lovely and soft after the constant thunderstorms, so pulling them out has been quite an easy job.

We have decided to grow more food for our family and develop the unused areas of our ground. Jenna and Erin have chosen their own veggie beds to look after. They are going to care for these beds, weed them and try succession planting as well. It makes me happy that they are serious about this and that they made the decision by themselves. We spoke about eating what is actually growing in season and not buying produce that has been flown in from overseas or kept in cold storage. They felt very strongly about us developing our acre of land here to sustain our family and then we can also barter produce with neighbours and friends. Feels right, feels good...

Last night I made a tomato and onion soup with veggies picked from our garden, I am so please with how it turned out, it got the 'delicious vote' from the family so I will definitely be making it again soon!

Tomato and Onion Soup:

Ingredients:
Olive oil 2 tablespoons
Garlic 2 teaspoons
Herbal salt
Black pepper
About 600 grams of tomatoes, you can add more
3 onions, diced
Chicken and vegetable stock, 500 mls
500 mls water
Half a can of butter beans, rinsed
4 chopped baby potatoes
Parmesan cheese

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to your pot. Once heated add 2 teaspoons of chopped garlic and then the diced onions.
Cook for about 5 mins until the onions have softened.
Chop up the tomatoes and add to the pot and stir.
Add 500 mls of chicken and vegetable stock to the tomatoes and simmer on a medium heat so the tomatoes can release their flavour, then add 500 mls of water.
Add the butter beans and potatoes and cook until the potatoes are soft or just add cooked potatoes.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
I used a potato masher to squash all the veggies a little before serving.
You could also add a little Parmesan cheese as a garnish and it tastes amazing too!

Enjoy!

♥♥♥♥ Valentine Swap ♥♥♥♥

2012-01-07T21:19:00.005+02:00

SWAP IS NOW CLOSED:)

Anyone keen for a Valentine Swap?
I think it will be lovely:)
Swaps are such fun, especially connecting with new people from all over the world:)
This swap is open to everyone worldwide.

Theme:
The theme for this swap is Valentines day, you can use any kind of craft, knitting, crochet, sewing, painting etc... anything crafty to make your swap item, so long as as it relates to Valentine's day. If you feel you would like to add a few small items to your swap parcel, please feel free to do so, it's not a requirement though. Once swap partners have been paired up, I will email you the details.

~~If you would like to take part in this swap, this is what you need to do, leave a comment in this post and please email your:~~ SWAP IS NOW CLOSED:)

Name (full name)
Address (including the country where you live)
Email address (please include this so I can just copy and paste your details into the data base)
Blog link, if you have one

to my email address, lindadawkins@mweb.co.za and I will pair you up with a swap partner.

This is an international swap so wherever you are, you can join:)
Do communicate with your swap partner and get to know them.
Please feel free to add this photo above to your sidebar of your blog with this page link.

If, for any reason, you decide that you no longer want to take part, just send me an email so that I can pair your partner with someone else. If you would like to offer to be a swap angel (someone who will send out one extra swap item to anyone who has not received their swap for whatever reason) just add that to your email you send to me.

I have created a Natural Suburbia Flickr Group for swaps, here you can upload photos of your swap items. To join the group, please go here and request to join.

Swaps must be sent out by the 20th of January.

Enjoy and have fun!

SWAP IS NOW CLOSED:)

Creative Friday

2012-01-06T14:18:00.004+02:00

Welcome to Creative Friday!
We have just returned home from an amazing holiday in a town called Clarens, situated in the Free State in South Africa. What a gorgeous place to visit! We hiked, went to look at rock art, browsed through antique stores, Erin and Caiden went down a zip line and even did some mountain biking. We loved every minute of it.
Here are some photos from our holiday.

The view from our bedroom window at dusk.

Ahh, the view from our bedroom, so wonderful, a perfect knitting spot. The mountains in the distance and the tall trees made me feel so happy. We have decided to return here soon, during the winter months...

The is a photo of the gorgeous sandstone home we stayed at called 'The View' it has the most magnificent garden, fruit trees laden with fruit and beautiful blossoming flowers everywhere...

I can see why they named this house 'The View'...

We even discovered a pothole that has formed under a small waterfall...

Can you see the face on this rock?

Erin and Caiden went down a zipline!

This is the homestead at the Schaapplaats farm, we hiked here to see the San Rock Art paintings, they are over 600 years old and so beautiful.

A beautiful San rock art painting...

To add this button to your blog, right click on it and 'save picture as' to your photos. Then add it as a gadget / picture to your blog on your blogs design page with a link to my blog address:)

About Creative Friday:

Thank you so much to everyone who shares the love and posts their links to their amazing work:) Please feel free to post your links to anything you have created and would like to share, it can be a recipe, sewing tutorial, knitting tutorial, felting, crochet, crafts, art, spinning, weaving, working with fibre, photography, poetry...etc...

I also love to hear from you, so if you have a moment, please leave a comment:) Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful talent with us! Just add the name of your blog to the widget and then add your blog link with the http:// at the beginning of your link address:) I have added a Creative Friday button on the sidebar of my blog, please feel free to add it to your blog for Creative Friday and link it to http://www.naturalsuburbia.blogspot.com/ so others can find this space and share their creativity too:)

1. I have started a Creative Friday Flickr Group where you can post your beautiful photos that you link to each Creative Friday, to join the group, please go here.

Yay!! Thanks so much to those who have joined the Creative Friday Flickr Group, it is wonderful to see your photos!

2. If you would be so kind as to link back to Natural Suburbia in your blog post that would be lovely:)

Have a wonderful day,

xo
Linda

Yarn Along

2012-01-04T09:47:00.000+02:00

I am writing this blog post from a beautiful town called Clarens, we are here on a road trip and arrived yesterday.There has been a lot of knitting and reading going on over here.

I am knitting on two projects and thouroughly enjoying both of them tremendously! The first project I am knitting in charcoal black is Jenna's Harris Shrug, what a stunning pattern, just look at those stitches, Kate Ray, the designer, is so clever. I think this is going to be a favourite. I am knitting it in Dana's Colourspun Aran weight Merino wool. Dana is an amzing fibre artist here in South Africa and dyes up beautiful colourways.

A close up of the stitches...

The Crochetnit bath mat is also at an exciting stage, I have started with the side border. Such a lovely design. I just love how the triangle points are constructed! This pattern is now avaliable on Ravelry as a download.

At the moment, I have been reading both of these wonderful books. The Jamie Oliver book is lovely and I have been cooking up delicious dinners for our family.

Joining in with Ginny's Yarn Along.

January?

2012-01-02T16:18:00.000+02:00

I am still finding it hard to believe that we are in January 2012! It is amazing though, isn't it? The year is new and holds so much promise and happy expectation. I really do feel that this year is going to be a good one. I am definitely going to spend much more time in the veggie and herb gardens and try to grow as much of our own food as possible. How wonderful it is to cook with one's own produce and know where it has come from and that it has no harmful chemicals on it.

This is also going to be the year that I finally learn to crochet, I have tried a few projects, small ones and then after a few weeks, I forget all about the stitches and once again this beautiful art become a mystery to me. So I am really going to try my best to follow through and crochet something worthwhile and stick with it, because I do love it so...

As for the six of us here, there has been baking, cupcake icing, planting, drying of oranges for kindling and rose petal drying going on here. I also discovered a new type of tomato growing in our veggie garden, I don't remember planting it and can't wait to see how it turns out.

Hope you are having a lovely day where you are.

Sandy after a swim, she has also collected her toys...

Orange kindling and rose petals drying in the kitchen...

A wonderful tomato discovery, please do tell if you know what variety this is:)

January Sponsors

2012-01-02T13:30:00.004+02:00

Please welcome our new sponsor:

The Enchanted Cupboard:
The most gorgeous hand crafted and hand painted treasures, toys, play silks and wedding cake toppers.

and our returning sponsors:

Vistaprint:
Offering wonderful printed cards, calenders and business cards.

Natural Kids:

A lovely group of artisans creating the most beautiful heirloom and natural products for children and their families.

Woolies:

At Woolies you will find the most beautiful heirloom quality stuffed animals and toys made from natural materials.

Ecomilf

A truly lovely eco friendly blog with pages of delicious recipes, natural cleaning recipes for your home, gardening and crafting. A wonderful place to visit...

Thank you so much to my lovely sponsors.

Please do visit their wonderful shops and see what they have to offer.

For sponsorship / advertising information you can contact me at: lindadawkins@mweb.co.za

Thoughts...

2011-12-31T17:09:00.001+02:00

Collecting seeds

Today has been a lovely day of reflection, the last day of the year. Can you believe tomorrow will be January? Are you ready for January? I'm not sure if I am ready (for January...) I have started breathing it in, thinking about it, about everything that needs to be done and all the new and exciting things we will learn next year.

I have been spending more time out in the garden, watching the birds and connecting with nature. The veggie garden has taken on a life of its own. How amazing that two pumpkin seeds can grow vines that have enveloped our two largest veggie beds, they have even grown up the shade net to the top of the fence.

I have also been thinking how grateful I am and I find that gratitude is something that makes me feel grounded and keeps my attention focused on the important things in our life.

I am grateful for:

A wonderful and supportive husband, who drove me to a nursery yesterday to buy flowers only to discover it closed, and simply drove all the way to another one, so that I would be able to plant some colour in our front garden, because he knew that this would make me happy...
Thunderstorms that arrive each afternoon during our summer months...
Friends that are kind and share their stories with me and listen to mine...
Our children who have so much love in their hearts and when they spot an injured bird along the side of the road, bring it home and nurse it back to health...
All the experiences in my life, good and some hard that make me the person I am today...
The simple things in life, the things that are always there and how different life would be without them...
Goodness, I am grateful for this space where I can write my thoughts about our journey...

Wishing you the most wonderful 2012, that your dreams will come true and that love will always be near you.
Linda

Creative Friday

2011-12-30T10:11:00.001+02:00

Welcome to Creative Friday.

Today I have included a photo of a fence we have built from re-purposed wattle trees. Wattle trees are invader species in South Africa and they are re-used and built into fencing for gardens. We bought three fence sections and Richard fashioned them into a wonderful fence to keep our special chickens from venturing into the back garden. The dogs live in the back yard and unfortunately they don't feel the same way about our chickens as we do, so we have to keep them separate. We have staggered the two large fences and put the smaller one in the middle as a door on hinges with a latch. I really do love this fence, I am going to grow a granadilla vine over it.

The next photo is of a Gladioli that just blossomed down the side of our driveway, the colour is spectacular and I just had to share it here:)

I am so looking forward to visiting all the links that will be shared here over the next few days.

To add this button to your blog, right click on it and 'save picture as' to your photos. Then add it as a gadget / picture to your blog on your blog's design page with a link to my blog address:)

About Creative Friday:

Thank you so much to everyone who shares the love and posts their links to their amazing work:) Please feel free to post your links to anything you have created and would like to share, it can be a recipe, sewing tutorial, knitting tutorial, felting, crochet, crafts, art, spinning, weaving, working with fibre, photography, poetry...etc...

I also love to hear from you, so if you have a moment, please leave a comment:) Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful talent with us! Just add the name of your blog to the widget and then add your blog link with the http:// at the beginning of your link address:) I have added a Creative Friday button on the sidebar of my blog, please feel free to add it to your blog for Creative Friday and link it to http://www.naturalsuburbia.blogspot.com/ so others can find this space and share their creativity too:)

1. I have started a Creative Friday Flickr Group where you can post your beautiful photos that you link to each Creative Friday, to join the group, please go here.

2. If you would be so kind as to link back to Natural Suburbia in your blog post that would be lovely:)

Have a wonderful day,
xo
Linda

Yarn Along

2011-12-28T07:33:00.001+02:00

I have been working on my bath mat and I am really enjoying this pattern. The Chrochenit section is finished and I am knitting the surround now. The border is knitted in a basket weave. That is our sweet Sandy sleeping on the floor in the first photo.

Today is my dad's 83rd birthday, we love you dad! He will be here any minute for a family breakfast:)

Joining in with Ginny's Yarn Along.

Thanks so much for stopping by here:)
xo
Linda

Tuesday

2011-12-27T20:05:00.002+02:00

Today has been a lovely, easy day. We built a quick reed fence to stop the chickens from flying over the wall to the back garden. This is where the dogs live and for some reason the chickens try their best to reach this part of our property. I am so relieved the fence is up and they are all safe and sound in the front garden now.

We are also having heavy rains tonight, it's actually wonderful, don't mention this to Richard, it has been raining for a few days now and he hasn't been able to ride his bike, so he isn't too thrilled about all the rain, (my poor love). Jenna and I made a delicious Jamie Oliver pasta recipe for dinner. It's off of his Jamie Oliver Food Guide App, amazing and well worth it!

I also picked some Canary Yellow Spinach and cooked it up stalks and all with some coarse salt, pepper and fresh cream, yum! Can you believe how yellow those stalks are, just love it. These were from some heirloom veggie seeds I planted a few months ago.

Well, I'm off to bake a chocolate cake for my dad's 83rd birthday tomorrow.
What have you been doing today?

Garden Visitors

2011-12-26T19:14:00.000+02:00

We have had the sweetest visitors in our garden today.
Red Headed Finches with their whole family.

Mama and baby:)

I love that they stop by here for a bite to eat.

Hope you are having a peaceful day
xo
Linda

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T18:10:00.000+02:00

Merry Christmas, from our home to yours.

Copper the Red Fox Pattern and a Giveaway

2011-12-24T10:30:00.001+02:00

Thank you so much for you wonderful words about Copper the Red Fox, I appreciate your kindness so much!! He is my favourite pattern design so far and I love him! He is standing here next to my computer as I type.

I have had so many emails asking when his pattern will be ready, I am so happy to tell you that I finished the pattern this morning and it is available in my shop now:)

Giveaway:
Because this is a new pattern I always like to give one away to a reader:)
To enter, just leave a comment here in this post, remember, if you are reading this in Google reader, you need to go to my blog to leave a comment to be counted by the random generator. I would hate for anyone to be left out.
~~I will announce the winner here in this blog post on Monday the 26th of December.~~

Winner:
Congratulations to Valarie! Thank you so much for entering:)

Valarie:

He's just adorable. You captured him beautifully. Merry Christmas to you dear Linda and your family. We're up here in a very cold Canada with our family. It's snowy and just beautiful. Hope all is wonderful and warm at your place.

Have a wonderful day and a beautiful Christmas tomorrow.
Love
Linda and Family

Creative Friday

2011-12-23T09:15:00.000+02:00

Welcome to Creative Friday!
I just wanted to share what I have been working on this week, a Red Fox. I think he is my favourite design so far:) His name is Copper and he is such a sweet fellow... I have knitted him in Colourspun Kid DK Mohair yarn. He is so soft and stands 5 inches tall and measures 9.5 inches from snout to tail.

His pattern will be avaliable soon:)

He loves to play in the field....

I am so looking forward to visiting all of your links today.

Happy Holidays from our family to yours.

Yarn Along

2011-12-21T07:31:00.000+02:00

This week I have been working on my cow pattern, her name is Clover and she is a Friesland cow. I really enjoyed designing her and tried to create the bulk of form that a cow requires. I am still busy with my Christmas knitting and will hopefully be finished in time:)

Clover the Cow

I have also started designing a pattern for a Red Fox, he is going to be a sweet fellow:)

Wool: Colourspun DK and Mohair
Book: Dyeing to Knit

Happy Wednesday to you:)

Joining this week with Ginny's Yarn Along

Clover, the Farmyard Cow Knitting Pattern & Giveaway

2011-12-19T17:14:00.001+02:00

I would love for you to meet Clover, the Farmyard Cow. I have just finished making her and couldn't wait to share her here with you:) Can't you just imagine her grazing in a lush green field somewhere?

Once knitted up, Clover measures: 5.5 inches from hoof to horn tip and 7.5 inches from snout to tail.

Clover's pattern is knitted flat and in one piece with size 4mm needles. The pattern has increasing, decreasing and I-cords. The eyes and snout are needle felted on with a felting needle.

The black spots are knitted separately and sewn on once Clover has been stuffed.

Her pattern is available in my Mamma4earth Etsy shop now and will soon be available for instant download in my Ravelry Pattern Store too.

There is also a Mamma4earth Ravelry Group where you can post photos of your lovely creations too:)

Giveaway:
~~I am giving away one Clover pattern to one Blog reader.~~
~~If you would like to win an emailed pattern for Clover, please leave a comment in this post and I will announce the winner on Wednesday:)~~
If you are reading this post in Google reader, to enter this giveaway, you will need to go to my blog here to enter, or the random generator won't be able to see your entry.

Winner:
Star faerymother said...
Cows are my very favourite animals here on the farm, so yes please.
December 20, 2011 8:52 AM

Congratulations!! Please could you send me your email address and I will email your Clover Cow Pattern off to you:)

From myself and Clover, have a wonderful day
xo

Saturday

2011-12-17T16:26:00.000+02:00

I would like to thank you for your lovely comments and emails regarding Mamma4earth's 1000 sales, your kindness is deeply appreciated. I have decided to let the pattern special continue until Saturday the 24th of December as a thank you for all your love:) To find out more about the pattern special, you can read this post.

Yesterday Jen, Erin, Caiden and Richard rode a 12 km mountain bike race just north of Pretoria at Babbas Lodge. They had a wonderful time!

There were dung beetles rolling dung all over the reserve:)

Back here at home, my apple is still growing beautifully on its tree. I am so excited about this, let me tell you!

Our Agapanthus plants are in full bloom.

I discovered these lovely mushrooms growing under my Grapefruit tree, amongst the Comfrey this morning.

And, we have a new Sparrow family that has built a nest and moved into the heart of a Fever tree in our garden. The thorns on this tree are huge. I think he has chose a very safe spot to build his nest.

I had to include this photo from Friday morning. One activity Kye loves, is to make himself tea. This is one of my favourite tea pots, it is adorned with guinea fowl and was a wedding gift from Richard's Aunt up in Zimbabwe.

Tomorrow I will show you the new pattern I have been working on, a farmyard cow:)

Have a wonderful weekend.

Creative Friday

2011-12-16T08:10:00.000+02:00

To add this button to your blog, right click on it and 'save picture as' to your photos. Then add it as a gadget / picture to your blog on your blog's design page with a link to my blog address:)

Welcome to Creative Friday:)

Thank you so much to everyone who shares the love and posts their links to their amazing work:) Please feel free to post your links to anything you have created and would like to share, it can be a recipe, sewing tutorial, knitting tutorial, felting, crochet, crafts, art, spinning, weaving, working with fibre, photography, poetry...etc...

I also love to hear from you, so if you have a moment, please leave a comment:) Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful talent with us! Just add the name of your blog to the widget and then add your blog link with the http:// at the beginning of your link address:) I have added a Creative Friday button on the sidebar of my blog, please feel free to add it to your blog for Creative Friday and link it to http://www.naturalsuburbia.blogspot.com/ so others can find this space and share their creativity too:)

1. I have started a Creative Friday Flickr Group where you can post your beautiful photos that you link to each Creative Friday, to join the group, please go here.

2. If you would be so kind as to link back to Natural Suburbia in your blog post that would be lovely:)

Have a wonderful day,
xo
Linda

A Humble Announcement...

2011-12-15T18:15:00.004+02:00

I am so excited to humbly announce, that today, I had my 1000th sale on my Mamma4earth Etsy shop! My little shop has been around and growing since 2008. It is a very special part of my life and it gives me the opportunity to create toys and design patterns to send out into the world, this makes me happy.

~~Pattern Special:~~

~~I have decided, that for the next few days, I am going to have a special on all my pattern sales.~~

I am giving away one free pattern per pattern order, ie. if you buy one pattern, you will get one free pattern, if you buy more than one pattern per order, you will still get one free pattern for that entire order:)

~~All you have to do is write '1000' in your checkout invoice and also tell me which additional pattern you would like me to send you.~~

~~This~~ ~~Mamma4earth~~ ~~special will run from now until Saturday the 24th of December.~~

Happy knitting and a heartfelt thank you to all those who support our little shop.

See you tomorrow for Creative Friday

Linda

Yarn Along

2011-12-14T07:01:00.004+02:00

I have started another Birthday Cardigan, Erin has requested one, I am knitting it with chunky hand spun yarn, I really love the colour, it's a delicate teal blue, so soft and cozy. This patterns knits up so quickly and it really is easy knitting, stocking stitch with a garter border, no shaping. I might add shaping to the pattern this time around the armholes, we'll see. Finally I have made a start on Jenna's Harris Shawl, this is a gift for Christmas and I hope that 11 days will give me enough time to finish it. Jen wanted it knitted in a dark colour and I was able to find a beautiful charcoal aran weight wool from Colourspun.

I have started taking my knitting everywhere I go and I have almost mastered the art of knitting and walking at the same time (as long as the project isn't too large to hold :) have you ever tried this? Walking around the house, holding my knitting, managing a few stitches here and there all helps, especially when there is a time limit on what I am knitting and it needs to be finished soon! :)

I am busy reading Christmas in the Family at the moment, it has lovely ornament ideas, songs and recipes etc... a lovely read.
I am joining in with Ginny's Yarn Along today.

Preparing for the Season

2011-12-13T14:11:00.001+02:00

As Christmas nears, I find myself preparing, collecting, de-cluttering and so looking forward to THE day. Caiden announced this morning, as he marked off his Advent calendar, that there are 12 days to go. I felt a little sad at the thought of only 12 days and then Christmas would be here, (I do very much want it to be here but...) I still have plenty to do though, gifts to make and we are still creating new ornaments to fill our home. I just hope I don't run out of time, I really do enjoy making homemade presents and I am almost done.

We are now officially on holiday and won't look at our homeschooling curriculum again until January, which isn't too far away. Jen will be going into grade 9 next year, how time flies. We will be starting a new curriculum for Jen because our Waldorf homeschooling curriculum ends at grade 8. Jen would possibly like to pursue a career in medicine and I think we have decided on the Cambridge route, there will be exams in a few years time and eventually a final matric exam that she needs to prepare for. The new curriculum is called Love 2 Learn and is very similar to Waldorf and Charlotte Mason in its approach, so this makes me happy. We also have to learn a second language here in South Africa if you are writing a matric exam and we have chosen Afrikaans.

Our days are still busy though, driving to calligraphy lessons, art and visiting friends.... Today we made pancakes and I found a lovely tutorial on how to make these balloon yarn balls, I can't wait for the glue to dry! I am going to hang these ornaments on our tree and around our home. They would even look amazing in a bowl, I will post photos when they are dry and the balloons have been removed.

Hope you are enjoying your preparations for Christmas and the new year...

Tea / Coffee Cup Cozy Pattern / Tutorial

2011-12-11T13:11:00.001+02:00

I really need to start Jenna's Harris Shrug, (which I will be starting later today, I can't wait to begin this project!) but in the meantime I had an idea for a cup cozy, and I built a light box yesterday for taking photos and I really wanted to try it out! I had so much fun building this light box, but I will write about that soon. I have knitted this cozy in Colourspun DK cotton, I love the rainbows!

It's an easy pattern, knitted in the round part of the way and then flat.

I have knitted the beginning of my cozy with a curl at the base, but if you would like it to lie flat, just purl a few rows in the round instead of starting with knit rows:)

Materials:
A small amount of DK cotton
4mm circular needles or DPNs
Sewing up needle
Button
Crochet hook to crochet a small chain for a loop

Pattern:
I have knitted this cozy in the Magic Loop but DPNs would also be perfect:)

If you would like the first few rows to lie flat, purl 4 rows of your cozy instead of knitting them in garter stitch, mine has a little curl for effect:)

Here we go:
Cast on 46 stitches and join for knitting in the round.
Knit 5 rows in the round.
Now, to make the opening for the handle you will no longer be knitting in the round, but rather back and forth as for flat knitting.
Rows 6-24: You will be knitting back and forth on your rows, not in the round. Alternate purl and knit rows, starting with a purl row and ending with a purl row on row 24. Eventually, as you progress along the rows, you will manage to have all the stitches on one needle.

Measure your cozy around the cup a few times to make sure it fits.

Row 25: Knit row and increase four stitches evenly across the row. To increase without being able to see the increases, simply pick up a stitch between two of your stitches as seen in the photo above. Place this stitch on the left needle.

Once the stitch is on the left needle, knit into the back of the stitch as seen in the above photo. You will now have an increase and not be able to see it at all! :)

Rows 26-30: Knit, this will give you an attractive edging.

Cast off loosely.

Sew on a button on one side at the top of the opening of the cozy. Sew in all the ends. On the opposite top edge of the cozy crochet a small chain, attach and sew into a loop to button the cozy closed.

You are finished!!
This cozy is perfect to gift to someone, don't you think? It knits up so fast, I would say it took me half an hour from start to finish:)
Have a lovely week.

Please note this pattern is for personal use only, thank you:)

Creative Friday

2011-12-09T07:14:00.000+02:00

To add this button to your blog, right click on it and 'save picture as' to your photos. Then add it as a gadget / picture to your blog on your blog's design page with a link to my blog address:)

Christmas Wreath Ornament Tutorial

2011-12-08T13:54:00.000+02:00

This is such a quick little project! I put it together the other night and was so excited to finish that I didn't even take photos of the process. I really wanted to share this with you so Erin and I happily made a few more today. I just love them, I want to make plenty, in different colours! They are perfect to hang on door handles and even on you Christmas tree, all over the house in fact:)

Materials:
1 wooden curtain rail ring
1 tiny pine cone
A small amount of green mohair yarn
A small amount of red mohair yarn

Roll the two yarns into one ball. Wind the yarn around the ring until the wood has been covered.

Once the wooden ring is covered, tie the red and green yarn around the ring and secure.

Thread the green yarn around the cone and secure so that it hangs inside the inner circle of the ring.

Tie both the green and red yarns from the small cone around the ring and tie into a sweet bow in front at the top of the wreath.

Our Christmas Wreaths, Erin made the beautiful purple and green one.

Happy crafting
xo
Linda

Yarn Along

2011-12-07T08:27:00.001+02:00

Yesterday I finished this wonderful pattern, the Multnomah Shawl! I have loved every minute of knitting this project. The gentle waves moving up each side and the two parallel lines rising up from the base of the of the apex point of the pattern... I knit all my shawls in Nurturing Fibres sock wool, I love Carle's yarns and belong to her sock clubs to make sure I don't miss out on anything:)

Blocking...

Now I am off in search of another lovely shawl pattern to knit:) Any ideas?

Joining in with Ginny's Yarn Along.

xo
Linda
Off to visit your lovely blogs...

I Love...

2011-12-04T17:30:00.002+02:00

We have been harvesting quite a lot of produce from our garden; nectarines, cauliflowers and onions. I love that we are growing our own food, there isn't always an abundance of it, but when it is available, it makes me feel so good to sit at the dinner table and know that part of our supper came from our garden.

The nectarines are large and juicy.

I discovered a couple of cauliflower heads while clearing out one of the bends. I hadn't been into the veggie garden for a few days and was so surprised to see the growth after the rain.

It is wonderful to have this crop of apricots, last year we only had two on the tree, this year we have about twenty, they have grown so plump.

As I walked around the apricot tree, I noticed this yellow apricot lying on the ground. I excitedly bent down and picked it up. It had been lying in the sun, it was so warm in my hands. I showed it to everyone, we shared it amongst the six of us. It tasted amazing, a large part of that was because we grew it ourselves:)

Oh... this makes me so happy! I brushed the earth aside ever so slightly and there they were, the first of our potato crop!! We will dig them up in a few weeks, just had to have a quick peek:)

Our thorn tree is in bloom, these little yellow flowers are just brilliant, like bursts of sunshine.

Off they go for a ride, my sweet loves...

Still really adore watching our chickens sand bathing:)

Wishing you a wonderful week;)

Creative Friday

2011-12-02T07:45:00.000+02:00

To add this button to your blog, right click on it and 'save picture as' to your photos. Then add it as a gadget / picture to your blog on your blog's design page with a link to my blog address:)

Around our Home...

2011-12-01T16:39:00.001+02:00

We have been busy decorating our home over the last few days, we usually wait for the 1st of December but this year we started a little early, there was just too much excitement to wait. Anyone else start early this year? We have made many decorations from felt for our tree, popcorn chains and paper ring chains too (in fact, there are paper ring chains all over the house:)

A gift from a dear friend...

This is a lovely gift I received from a special friend called Lori, if you haven't discovered her blog yet, you simply must pop over and visit, you will be so glad you did...

The view from my studio window this afternoon, rain... and it is most welcome:)

The Winter edition of Rhythm of the Home went live today, too beautiful!

December

2011-12-01T15:53:00.000+02:00

A warm welcome to our December sponsors on Natural Suburbia:

Celebrating the Rhythm of Life Guides:

Beautiful monthly guides for children, guiding you gently through the rhythms of the year.

Vistaprint:

Lovely Christmas Photo Cards

Natural Kids:

A wonderful group of artisans creating the most beautiful heirloom and natural products for children and their families.

Woolies:

At Woolies you will find the most beautiful heirloom quality stuffed animals and toys made from natural materials.

Ecomilf:

A truly lovely eco friendly blog with pages of delicious recipes, natural cleaning recipes for your home, gardening and crafting. A wonderful place to visit...

**For sponsorship / advertising information you can contact me at: lindadawkins ** @mweb.co.za

Yarn Along

2011-11-30T08:38:00.001+02:00

My Multnomah shawl has had to take a back seat over the last week, I have been busy with my crochenit bath mat, I am almost finished the middle section and then I will pick up the stitches all around the centre and finish the border area.

I have also been working on two new pattern designs, my large pig called Truffles and my Christmas Gnome. I am so happy with how they turned out, I have added them to my Etsy shop:)

Truffles the Pig

Christmas Gnome

Looking forward to visiting all your lovely blogs:)

Joining in today for the Yarn Along

Christmas Gnome Pattern and a Giveaway

2011-11-28T19:10:00.002+02:00

This is the surprise pattern that I have been working on, a Christmas gnome. He could actually be any gnome really, Spring, Autumn etc.. just knit him in a different colour and there you go! I have knitted him in a hand spun chunky wool and he measures 11.5 inches tall. I have knitted him for a pattern and to take up residence on our mantelpiece during Christmas, (that is if Kye doesn't whisk him away, he really loves this gnome:)

I have added this Christmas Gnome pattern to my shop too:)

He is knitted on size 4mm circular and double pointed needles. This pattern is knitted in the round with decreasing and increasing. You could knit in the Magic Loop or use DPNs. I have also knitted with i-cords.

He can either have a needle felted beard or none at all, the choice is yours:)

AND if there is ever anything you don't understand in any of my patterns, you can just email me right away and we will work it out together:)

As always, I will be giving a few patterns away.

~~If you would like to win a Christmas Gnome Pattern, just leave a comment below.~~

~~If you are reading this in a reader, please go to~~ ~~Natural Suburbia~~ ~~and leave a comment at the end of the post so that the random generator can pick up your comment entry:)~~

The winner will be chosen on the 7th of December.

Winner!

Congratulations to:

Charlotte said...

love the beard .... it fits him perfectly!
November 28, 2011 10:05 PM

I have emailed off your pattern Charlotte:)

Pig Knitting Pattern and a Giveaway

2011-11-27T16:11:00.004+02:00

I just wanted to share my knew little treasure with you:)

I really think her name should be Truffles, she is bulky and plump just like a pig should be and she is a nice size to carry around 5.5 inches tall 8 inches from tail to snout. I have knitted her in a hand spun yarn, about an aran to chunky weight.

Her pattern is available on my Mamma4earth Etsy Shop.

and

For immediate download in my Ravelry shop.

This pattern is quite easy, it is knitted in stocking stitch, with increasing and decreasing. I have knitted the tail as an i-cord. I have knitted with size 4mm straight needles and this pattern is flat. If you ever need to ask me a question about the pattern, I am just an email away.

The eyes have been needle felted on with fleece and a felting needle and she even has a curly tail!

Pig Pattern Giveaway:

~~If you would like to win a free pig pattern, just leave a comment below~~. There will be 3 winners, please leave a way for me to contact you. Winners will be announced in this blog post on Tuesday.

If you are reading this in a reader, please go to Natural Suburbia and leave a comment at the end of the post so that the random generator can pick up your comment entry:)

Congratulations to:

corazon said...

Such a lovely pig. I want to knit it!!!
Greetings from germany
Petra

Emma, Jon, Nicola, Josie and Danica said...
how cute thanks for sharing
November 29, 2011 10:18 AM

Hawthorn said...
Oh Linda - she is just too gorgeous, I would love to be able to make her for my boys (they love soft and squidgy) and I would love to make her for my sister in law (she loves things like that) and oh yes, I would love love love to make her for myself (ah now the truth comes out!!)
November 28, 2011 12:42 AM

Thank you all so much for your lovely words and for entering, I will email your patterns off in the morning:)

Have a wonderful week:)

Creative Friday

2011-11-25T07:14:00.000+02:00

To add this button to your blog, right click on it and 'save picture as' to your photos. Then add it as a gadget / picture to your blog on your blog's design page with a link to my blog address:)

Welcome to Creative Friday:)

Thank you so much to everyone who shares the love and posts their links to their amazing work:) Please feel free to post your links to anything you have created and would like to share, it can be a recipe, sewing tutorial, knitting tutorial, felting, crochet, crafts, art, spinning, weaving, working with fibre, photography, poetry...etc...

I also love to hear from you, so if you have a moment, please leave a comment:) Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful talent with us! Just add the name of your blog to the widget and then add your blog link with the http:// at the beginning of your link address:) I have added a Creative Friday button on the sidebar of my blog, please feel free to add it to your blog for Creative Friday and link it to http://www.naturalsuburbia.blogspot.com/ so others can find this space and share their creativity too:)

1. I have started a Creative Friday Flickr Group where you can post your beautiful photos that you link to each Creative Friday, to join the group, please go here.

2. If you would be so kind as to link back to Natural Suburbia in your blog post that would be lovely:)

Have a wonderful day,

xo

Linda

Yarn Along

2011-11-23T10:05:00.001+02:00

I am joining in with Ginny's Yarn Along again this week. I have made quite a lot of progress with my Multnomah Shawl, I just love the waves of the feather and fan border. It is almost finished, I have about 6 more repeats to go.

The crochenit bath mat is such fun, I am so happy to have learnt this new skill, the cotton is very soft indeed!

Enjoying Zakka Sewing.

These are bits and pieces of my 'secret' knitting pattern I am busy designing, I will keep you posted about my little Santa Gnome:) Thought he would look quite sweet perched on the edge of our mantelpiece at Christmas time.

PS I am having a huge Christmas Giveaway that closes on Friday, if you would like to enter, leave a comment here.

Mamma4earth Christmas Giveaway

2011-11-20T14:38:00.006+02:00

I have been wanting to offer a Mamma4earth giveaway for quite a while and because it will soon be Christmas, I thought these items would be just perfect and would also reach you in time:) This giveaway is open to everyone, worldwide.

The Giveaway consists of:

1. One South African knitted Lion

2. One knitted chicken

3. One Aardvark Pattern

4. One Unicorn Pegasus Pattern

5. One skein of Rainbow Yarn

South African Lion

Aardvark Pattern

Unicorn Pegasus Pattern

One skein of Rainbow Yarn

How to enter:

- Leave a comment in this post
For Additional Entries:

- Follow my blog

- Tweet about this giveaway

- Post on Facebook

- Blog about it:)

Each time you do any of the above, please return here and leave a comment to let me know and then you will have additional entries:)

If you are reading this post in Google Reader, please click on this link, it will take you to my blog and you will be able to leave a comment below the post.

Have a wonderful week everyone, comments will close on Sunday 27th of November. Please check back here to see if you have won.

The winner is :
CrochetBlogger

What a fun giveaway!! Your patterns are adorable

Congratulations!!! Please can you send me your postal details and I will pop your treasures in the post:)
Warmly
Linda

Minature Knitted Mittens Pattern, a Christmas Tree Decoration

2011-11-19T14:38:00.001+02:00

We have been making plenty of Christmas decorations for our tree and home from felt over the last few days. I had some oddments of red wool and I knitted up these tiny mittens that will hang on our tree. They could even look sweet on a garland. I am still working on the red and beige project and will share it here soon, but for now I have this mitten pattern to share with you:)

Materials:

Oddments of red wool, mine is hand spun but DK is perfect too

5mm circular needles or DPNs

Wool needle for sewing up

Some red and beige wool to braid the strand holding the mittens

Pattern:

Cast on 14 stitches and join for knitting in the round

Round 1: Knit

Round 2: Purl

Round 3: Purl

Round 4: Knit 6 stitches and then place the next 2 stitches on a piece of waste yarn, continue knitting to the end of the round.

Rounds 5-9: Knit

Round 10: (Knit 2 together, knit 1) across the round

Round 11: Knit

Round 12: Knit 1, knit 2 together, knit 1, knit 1, knit 2 together, knit 1

Bind off stitches.

Turn the mitten inside out and sew the top of the mitten closed neatly.

Pick up the two stitches that have been on the waste yarn with one needle and pick up another 3 stitches opposite these 2 stitches with the other circular needle, this will form the thumb, (you will be knitting in the round for the thumb).

Knit these stitches in the round for 3 rounds.

Then knit 1, knit 2 together, knit 2 together.

Break yarn, thread wool onto a wool needle and thread the needle through the stitches, pulling tight, finish off.

Sew in all the ends.

With 3 strands of wool, 2 red and 1 beige, braid a strand. Tie each end and sew them into the inside of each mitten.
Now they can hang on your tree as a cute ornament:)

Happy knitting:)

© Linda Dawkins, this pattern is for personal use only and may not be used for commercial purposes.

Creative Friday

2011-11-18T07:43:00.003+02:00

To add this button to your blog, right click on it and 'save picture as' to your photos. Then add it as a gadget / picture to your blog on your blog's design page with a link to my blog address:)

Welcome to Creative Friday:)

Yarn Along

2011-11-16T09:28:00.000+02:00

I have had plenty of time to knit on my Multnomah shawl this week and I am so pleased with it, I am ready to start the feather and fan border today and I can't wait. Just a few errands to run this morning and then I will start! I decided to make this shawl in the large size which will take my stitches up to 265 before I begin the border. I love that there are pattern notes for increased sizing and a Multnomah group has been started on Ravelry.

I bought this little project bag a while ago from Henri Kuikens, a local South African Etsy shop and I must say, whenever I see this bag it makes me smile... I just grab it and take it with me wherever I go.

I've been knitting lions and hedgehogs for Christmas...

Recently, I started teaching myself how to Crochenit, it is amazing!! This is my practice crochenitting above. You use a double hooked needle and two yarns at the same time, one on each end. There is an excellent video here. I am going to start my first project, a lovely bath mat crochenitted in chunky and aran cotton.

Aran and chunky cotton for my crochenit bath mat project.

Jen has asked me to knit her this Harris shrug for Christmas I am using this Colourspun Aran Merino wool above. I have quite a lot to do over the next few weeks and love that I am busy. I really enjoy knitting gifts and can't wait to dive in!

Really enjoying this beautiful read by Elizabeth Zimmermann.

Joining in with Ginny today for the Yarn Along.

Monday

2011-11-14T19:53:00.001+02:00

I would just like to start off this post by saying thank you to everyone who sent well wishes my way, I really appreciate your kind words of comfort:) I am feeling so much better today and have started replying to your messages, you are lovely, lovely people!!

I have posted a few photos of the last few days and today...

Bill

Our tomato plants have all been staked and the lower side branches, thinned out.

Our Lamb's Ears are flowering for the first time! Hooray:)

Caiden and Kye building dams in our little 'stream'

There is a new pattern that has been desperate to be knitted, but has had to wait, because I have been a little under the weather. Today, I decided I couldn't think about it anymore and had to start. Red and beige... hmmmm what could it be?? A Christmas theme perhaps?? I will show you as soon as it is finished:)

Jen discovered a heart shaped Loganberry, we have a delicious crop...

Friends, it is so good to be back here again writing and sharing about our life. Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and visit a while...
In gratitude,
Linda

On the Couch?

2011-11-12T18:32:00.001+02:00

I have been in the grip of a relentless gastric flu bug for the past few days. I have spent more time lying down on the couch than I would care to admit! Resting isn't really something I do well, it should be right??... there is just far too much to be done here, it can wait though... I must admit, I feel very grateful right now, to lay down my head and let the waves of sinus and nausea pass...

I did manage to venture out into the garden today briefly, look up at the sky and and see the most wonderful cloud patterns, I thought, I must get my camera and share them here with you...
Within a few minutes they had all dissipated...
I will be taking it a little slower around here for a day or so, I think that is what my body is trying to tell me and no matter how hard I fight against resting, I think I am going to listen and r e l a x (just for a short while, I know it's important:).... Richard and the children have been wonderful and I am so grateful for having such a caring family.

I will see all you lovely people back here on Monday xo xo

Creative Friday

2011-11-11T07:12:00.000+02:00

Welcome everyone, to Creative Friday:)

Thank you so much to everyone who shares the love and posts their links to their amazing work:) Please feel free to post your links to anything you have created and would like to share, it can be a recipe, sewing tutorial, knitting tutorial, felting, crochet, crafts, art, spinning, weaving, working with fibre, photography, poetry...etc...

I also love to hear from you, so if you have a moment, please leave a comment:) Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful talent with us! Just add the name of your blog to the widget and then add your blog link with the http:// at the beginning of your link address:) I have added a Creative Friday button on the sidebar of my blog, please feel free to add it to your blog for Creative Friday and link it to http://www.naturalsuburbia.blogspot.com/ so others can find this space and share their creativity too:)

1. I have started a Creative Friday Flickr Group where you can post your beautiful photos that you link to each Creative Friday, to join the group, please go here.

2. If you would be so kind as to link back to Natural Suburbia in your blog post that would be lovely:)

Have a wonderful day,

xo

Linda

Yarn Along

2011-11-09T07:01:00.000+02:00

I have been looking for another shawl to knit and I have found the Multnomah Shawl a free pattern, you can see all the projects that have been knitted using this pattern on Ravelry. It is beautiful and such an easy knit. I am going to make mine slightly larger than the pattern, I am knitting it up in Nurturing Fibres sock wool, the variegated rainbow colours pop up here and there amongst the charcoal black of the wool, love it!

I am so excited about this apple! Our first apple and this is its actual size:)

I am reading Charlotte Mason in preparation for next year's homeschooling and listening to An Irish Country Doctor on my I Pod while I knit.

Can you believe how fast these mushrooms have grown since the last time I posted about them?

Joining Ginny for the Yarn Along.

Happy Wednesday
xo
Linda

Mushrooms and my Book Update

2011-11-07T18:32:00.000+02:00

I just wanted to give you a quick update about the Oyster Mushrooms we are growing from a mushroom kit. The box stands inside a bag that is sprayed a few times per day to keep the humidity high inside the growing area. A few days passed and nothing was happening, and then all of a sudden, wow, mushrooms started pushing out through the tiny openings in the plastic window in the box!! It's truly amazing and they grow so fast, you can almost watch them grow! This is really such fun:)

I have had a few wonderful people write to me and ask about the progress of my book, I am so sorry it has taken me this long to write about this very exciting part of my life, but today I am going to give you a sneak peek at one of the new patterns that will be a part of the book. The book will be about knitting patterns for animals from all over the African continent and a few other exciting patterns as well. It will be so much more than just a knitting pattern book and I am thrilled about it!!

This is my new design for the African Elephant, it took me a while to form his shape into just the right amount of bulk, his sloping hindquarters that recede down to his tail and his front legs that slope forward as if he is leaning downwards. He also has a concave back, just ever so slightly... He is a large fellow and just wonderful to carry around...

I have learned so much about each animal that I am knitting, for instance, elephant's molars each weigh 5kg / 11 lbs! I love this process so much and I am so grateful to be on this amazing journey and to be able to share it here with you...

Have a lovely week,
Linda

The Lichen Head Scarf, Handmade Holiday 2011

2011-11-06T19:42:00.000+02:00

The Lichen Head Scarf is finished, I really enjoyed this quick knit, I will be making a few more for Christmas gifts. It is a free pattern available on Ravelry. I love all the new stitch techniques I have learned to knit, wonderful. Now it's time to start a new project, not sure what yet?

Wishing you a wonderful week...

Portrait Saturday

2011-11-05T11:58:00.000+02:00

Early morning, still in pyjamas, Richard and Kye playing chess...

Creative Friday

2011-11-04T10:07:00.000+02:00

Green and Yellow in the Garden...

2011-11-03T18:32:00.000+02:00

I am really enjoying the many colours in our garden at the moment, the yellows and the greens... so beautiful...

I am almost finished the kerchief, it needs to be ready by tomorrow for a birthday, it is such a lovely and easy knit, I have learned a few new stitches along the way too which is always wonderful.

Caiden has been enjoying building a woven fence out of pruned mulberry branches, he loves it and I love that this makes him happy:)

A Lovely Head Scarf / Kerchief Discovery...

2011-11-02T17:56:00.000+02:00

I have found the sweetest little head scarf pattern on Ravelry and it's free! It is called Lichen. I really adore the pattern. I am knitting this up for someone as a birthday gift, but I think I will knit up a few more as Christmas presents too and one for me. It doesn't look like much now, but Oh, the pattern is wonderful. I am knitting it in a slightly variegated green, hoping to enhance the detail of the stitches.

I am still reading Health Through God's Pharmacy, amazing!

I am joining Ginny from Small Things for the Yarn Along.

Just had to take this photo when I saw the light shining through the flowers at the end of today....

Books in the Book Basket

2011-11-01T18:05:00.000+02:00

We have a small basket that is perfect for holding books of all different shapes and sizes, (I just love baskets, the minute I see them in a thrift shop, I can't resist them!). I use them for my knitting projects etc... I thought I would share some of the titles we are reading at moment with you.

Here we go:

A Baobab is Big by Jacqui Taylor
Christmas in the Family by Isabel Marion (lovely)
African Animal Tales by Jay Heale
The Big Summer Activity Book by Anne and Peter Thomas
Sharing Nature with Children by Joseph Cornell
Bushveld Safari
The Sun Egg
An African Christmas Cloth
The Spiritual Tasks of the Homemaker (I'm reading this)
Health Through God's Pharmacy by Maria Treben (I'm reading this, Amazing!!)

This last book is truly wonderful, I have been reading all about Swedish Bitters and it sounds like an amazing tonic, the case studies written in this book about the bitters are fantastic! Do any of you use Swedish Bitters, I would love to hear more about this amazing herbal mixture.

The sky at dusk...
Happy 1st of November to you:)

November 1st

2011-11-01T08:08:00.000+02:00

Welcome to Natural Suburbia's November Sponsors

Creating A Family Home

Creating a Family Home is a beautiful blog written by an incredibly crafty woman called Kelly. Here she shares her family's day to day activities living on an old dairy farm. Kelly also offers her readers many wonderful free seasonally inspired knitting patterns, craft tutorials and delicious recipes. For a wonderful read, pop on over and enjoy this inspiring blog.

Celebrate the Rhythm of Life

Beautiful monthly guides for children, guiding you gently through the rhythms of the year.

Woolies

At Woolies you will find the most beautiful heirloom quality stuffed animals and toys made from natural materials.

Natural Kids

A wonderful group of artisans creating the most beautiful heirloom and natural products for children and their families.

Ecomilf

A truly lovely eco friendly blog with pages of delicious recipes, natural cleaning recipes for your home, gardening and crafting. A wonderful place to visit...

**For sponsorship / advertising information you can contact me at: lindadawkins@mweb.co.za**

Today I Am Grateful For...

2011-10-30T16:29:00.000+02:00

Today I am grateful for:

~ Older brother reading to his younger brother

~ Tomatoes that seed themselves and gift us with food

~ Treasures from my childhood

~ Crafting and sewing little gnomes with Kye

~ My family, who are so creative and made their own Halloween costumes from what we have around our home

~ Thunderstorms... and 35 ml of rain during the night

~ Friends that help me when my car battery has died and Caiden needs to go to his cub boating course!

~ Wonderful neighbours!

~ My lovely husband who likes to surprise me! (I love surprises:)

~ Chickens

~ This lovely space where I can share our life and all the amazing people I have met along the way, thank you:)

What are you grateful for today?

Saturday

2011-10-29T14:34:00.000+02:00

We have quite a stash of rovings in our wool room and Jen has been enjoying spinning up yarns over the last few weeks and she has asked to list them in our family Etsy shop, I think they really turned out beautiful. The first is a Wensleydale single ply, the second a Merino and Tencel and the third a BFL Tussah Silk.

This is the beautiful pincushion that I received from my swap partner in Shannon's Pincushion swap, I love it!

The other day, a parcel arrived just for me at the post office. I had no idea what it was, I opened it and oh my goodness! I was so delighted with what I discovered inside the beautiful packaging. I found a gorgeous crochet bag, so soft and wonderful and did I mention I love the colour red! It was sent to me by a lovely woman in Texas also called Linda. I really adore this gift Linda, I am very grateful, you are so kind to make me this item and to have sent it all the way to South Africa and thank you so much for the lovely note too:)

xo
Linda

Creative Friday

2011-10-28T09:03:00.000+02:00

Welcome everyone to Creative Friday:)

Thank you so much to everyone who shares the love and posts their links to their amazing work:) Please feel free to post your links to anything you have created and would like to share, it can be a recipe, sewing tutorial, knitting tutorial, felting, crochet, crafts, art, spinning, weaving, working with fibre, photography, poetry...etc...

I also love to hear from you, so if you have a moment, please leave a comment:) Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful talent with us! Just add the name of your blog to the widget and then add your blog link with the http:// at the beginning of your link address:) I have added a Creative Friday button on the sidebar of my blog, please feel free to add it to your blog for Creative Friday and link it to http://www.naturalsuburbia.blogspot.com/ so others can find this space and share their creativity too:)

1. I have started a Creative Friday Flickr Group where you can post your beautiful photos that you link to each Creative Friday, to join the group, please go here.

2. If you would be so kind as to link back to Natural Suburbia in your blog post that would be lovely:)

Have a wonderful day,
xo
Linda

A Story of a Sewing Box

2011-10-27T18:54:00.000+02:00

This is my sewing box, it has been with me for many years, since I was young...
I know I may have mentioned this treasure before, but I haven't ever really given this subject the attention it deserves. I even thought of replacing it a few years ago, I went searching for a new and better sewing box, (I thought), but when the time came for me to buy something new, I just felt, I couldn't. This sewing box is like an old friend, it has moved with me from house to house, throughout my childhood to the home that I have made with my family. I have found, now, that I could never replace it, it means far too much to me...

When I was about eight years old, or so, I can't remember exactly, I went to a church fair with my mom, dad and sister and there it was on a table for sale. My mom bought it for me and it has been with me constantly since that time, so long ago. Oh, it is so very special to me, the thought that I once wanted to replace it is unimaginable, I could have given it away and lost it forever! But no, it has it's own place on the book shelf in our library and each time I craft, sew, knit or make a new toy, I take it down from the shelf, open it... and feel such a sense of peacefulness. It also reminds me of my mother and how grateful I am that she bought this beautiful gift for me...

It is a little faded now, but that's all right, it is full of wonderful memories that I can carry with me wherever I go...

Today's Activities

2011-10-26T17:42:00.000+02:00

Today has been such a productive day, it started off with more Mulberry picking, but after a while we just stretched an old mosquito net under each branch, shook the branches and loads of ripe fruit rained down. It was wonderful and so much easier than picking each little berry individually. They were washed and another 12 bottles of jam have been made, I really love this, I feel like a pioneer! The soap that we made a few weeks ago is hardening nicely and we will start using that in about a months time. So for now we have jam and handmade soap to gift friends and family with at Christmas:) I must start on some more gifts, Christmas is so close now!

I also managed to plant some seeds today for squash, pumpkins and sugar baby melons.

Catching mulberries...

We have discovered that we also have a white mulberry tree, those berries are in the basin on the right, I will make a new batch of jam for these.

This is Lucy Rabbit she is visiting us all the way from Australia. I will soon be sending her on to Kristen in the USA. Lucy has been patiently watching me make jam all day:) It is so lovely to have her visit us:)

I love these Calendula flowers, I have planted them all amongst my veggies to attract bees and other pollinators.

Grapefruits!

A shy apple...

Happy Wednesday:)

Peas and Beans...

2011-10-25T16:59:00.000+02:00

Jenna has been making her first quilt over the last few months and today she finished the front of it, I love it, it's so beautiful! (Proud mama here!) The heat continues to be incredible, but we just turn on the borehole sprinklers and head straight for the pool... I have also decided to start our mushroom growing kit, it has all been set up and apparently we will have mushrooms growing within 15 days! So exciting, I need to spray it a few times a day with cooled boiled water and that is all:)

Tonight we are making stew for dinner and I am adding broad beans from our garden, we picked most of the beans and quite a lot of peas too, it's hard not to eat the peas though, they are so sweet! Tomorrow I will pick the rest of the bean and pea crop and freeze them. Thank you all so much for your comments about the jam. We ate some this morning and I must say I am VERY pleased with how it turned out, I wasn't too sure about its consistency when I was pouring it into the jars, but this morning, I can spoon it onto my toast and it is lovely and thick, (but not too thick). I am also glad about putting it through the juicer because of the pulp it created, so no big pieces of fruit in the jam, the pulp has added an even texture. I am going to freeze the extra bottles and give some away as gifts. We are going to make more jam tomorrow too, I have discovered that another one of our mulberry trees has large and juicy fruit on its branches, I love all the preserving that is going on over here.

Making Mulberry Jam

2011-10-24T17:37:00.000+02:00

We have had such an exceptionally hot day here in Johannesburg today, 35 deg C, as soon as we walk out the door we can feel the heat bearing down on us, not too pleasant at all. Is anyone in Australia or New Zealand experiencing similar weather? We have had to water our veggies like crazy to save them from being burnt by the sun... Anyway, today I decided I wanted to try and make jam. We have a mulberry tree that grows in a rather shady area of our garden and this tree gives us the most wonderful fruit year after year, really sweet, juicy mulberries, so mulberry picking we went. We have another five mulberry trees in our garden, but this is the one! So after lunch, we all went outside and started to pick as many of the little fruits as we could find. A whole bowl was picked and then the fun started. I have some left over mulberries from today's harvest so I will attempt a different recipe tomorrow.

I found this recipe, I only used berries and sugar and now we have six jars of lovely sweet mulberry jam cooling in the kitchen.

I washed the berries first.

Then I thought I would put them through the juicer and extract the juice. I kept the pulp.

I started boiling the glass jars for the jam and made sure they were ready to use at the same time that the jam was ready to be bottled in the jars.

I added the sugar and I also added some of the pulp that was put through the juicer that I kept aside earlier.

Once the jam had boiled and thickened, I removed it from the heat, spooned it into the boiling hot bottles, left a space at the top of the jam jar and put on the lid.

And there you go, lovely jam, please refer to the original recipe in the link above for exact measurements and method:) I think a few of these bottles will be nice to give away as gifts.

What have you been doing today?

Have a lovely day.
Linda

Jam Update:
We ate some of the jam on toast this morning and I must say, it is just wonderful!! I am so glad I put the mulberries through the juicer, it gave us beautiful smooth pulp to add to the liquid on the stove and the consistency of the jam is divine, no big pieces of fruit, just lovely:)

Flower and Leaf Garland and a small Giveaway...

2011-10-23T18:45:00.000+02:00

We always find these little flowering creepers climbing their way through our herb garden, in and out of the plants they wind their way, they have the most beautiful trumpet flowers. Their colours are spectacular and I have been working on this little garland pattern since yesterday. It could have so many uses, perfect for Spring and Summer, for weddings, as table settings etc...you can also make the garland as long as you wish. You could even use the flowers and leaves as embellishments on clothing, hats or make little hair clips with the flowers too:)

The flowers are knitted in the round with the Magic Loop but can also be knitted with DPNs.

The stems and vines are knitted with i-cords.
The pattern consists of patterns for the flowers, the leaves, the stems and vines.
Fairly easy patterns.

Measurements:
Flowers: 3 inches tall
Leaves: 3.5 inches from top to base including stem.

Congratulations to:
Steph:
I also shared your giveaway on my Facebook page!

October 23, 2011 12:43 PM

Tammy:

Cute design..! Would love to have the pattern. Count me in!
knitwit29@gmail.com

October 24, 2011 9:43 AM

Gracey is not my Name:

Cool looking vine and flowers...not sure I have the skillz yet, but couldn't hurt to give it a try!

October 23, 2011 2:47 PM

I will email off your patterns soon:)

Linda

Giveaway:

This Flower and Leaf Garland Pattern is a new pattern in my shop, if you would like to win one of the three patterns I am giving away, just leave a comment in this post and an email address where I can send the pattern if you win:)

~~If you would like to share about this giveaway, that would be lovely too and let me know with another comment, this will give you extra entries:)~~

~~I will choose the winners on Tuesday and post about it here.~~

Have a lovely Sunday
xo
Linda

Creative Friday

2011-10-21T10:12:00.000+02:00

Fairy Mushroom pincushion pattern can be found here.

Welcome everyone to Creative Friday:)

Thank you so much to everyone who shares the love and posts their links to their amazing work:) Please feel free to post your links to anything you have created and would like to share, it can be a recipe, sewing tutorial, knitting tutorial, felting, crochet, crafts, art, spinning, weaving, working with fibre, photography, poetry...etc...

I also love to hear from you, so if you have a moment, please leave a comment:) Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful talent with us! Just add the name of your blog to the widget and then add your blog link with the http:// at the beginning of your link address:) I have added a Creative Friday button on the sidebar of my blog, please feel free to add it to your blog for Creative Friday and link it to http://www.naturalsuburbia.blogspot.com/ so others can find this space and share their creativity too:)

I have added a few changes to Creative Friday:

1. I have started a Creative Friday Flickr Group where you can post your beautiful photos that you link to each Creative Friday, to join the group, please go here.
2. If you would be so kind as to link back to Natural Suburbia in your blog post that would be lovely:)

Have a wonderful day,
xo
Linda

Thursday

2011-10-20T20:16:00.000+02:00

We have had a wonderfully busy day today, which included a visit to the post office, a grocery shop and an old friend popped in for tea, which was lovely. This morning I wound wool into balls to send off to someone, their shape reminds me of mango pips...

We had to make a new batch of laundry soap for the washing machine... It is amazing and this whole batch of 11 litres only cost me R 16.00 to make which is about $ 2.00! You can find the recipe on Rhonda's blog. It's so nice to walk past the laundry section in the grocery store and know that I don't need to buy any expensive soap that is full of chemicals...

Today while the girls were outside in the garden with their friend, they noticed two White Eye birds frantically flying around looking for something. Finally, they discovered a little baby White Eye bird on the ground. We didn't know what to do so we decided to take the little wooden bird house that Caiden made and put it up in the tree near where the nest could possibly have been. Then we put him in the house and waited to see what would happened next.

Well...

Isn't he just gorgeous??

His mommy found him and started to bring him food, it was the sweetest moment... it was beautiful...

See you all tomorrow for Creative Friday.

Witches Hat Pattern for Halloween

2011-10-19T13:34:00.000+02:00

Today I knitted up this little witches hat for the Halloween season which has so many possibilities... It can be used for a mobile, a little moblie of hats or just a hanging ornament somewhere, Halloween decor... Another nice idea is to use them as Halloween party invitations with the details attatched on a piece of card by string:) It's not too big, about 2.5 inches tall and you could make it bigger by doubling the pattern. Such a quick and easy little knit, it took me about 15 minutes from beginning to end:)

Materials:

Scraps of black yarn.
4mm / 6 US circular needles or 4 DPNs
Wool needle for sewing in the ends
Fleece if you want to stuff your hat, makes it look nice and full.

Pattern:

Cast on 30 stitches and join for knitting in the round with the magic loop technique or your DPNs.
Round 1: Knit
Round 2:(Knit 1, Knit 2 together) across the round. (20 stitches)
Round 3: Purl
Round 4: Knit 2 together across the round. (10 stitches)
Rounds 5 to 11: Knit
Round 12: Knit 1, knit 2 together, knit 4, knit 2 together, knit 1. (8 stitches)
Rounds 13-15: Knit
Round 16: Knit 1, knit 2 together, knit 2, knit 2 together, knit 1. (6 stitches)
Rounds 17-18: Knit
Round 19: Knit 1 knit 2 tog, knit 2 tog, knit 1. (4 stitches)
Round 20: Knit
Round 21: Knit 2 together, knit 2 together.

Break yarn and thread it through a wool needle and thread the needle through the remaining stitches and pull tight. Sew in all the ends.

You are finished!
Happy knitting:)

Please note this pattern is copy written and may not be used for commercial purposes, thank you.

Finished!

2011-10-17T16:10:00.000+02:00

The Aestlight shawl is finished at last! It was so wonderful to knit and I think I am ready for another shawl, but this time it won't take quite as long to finish...

I don't know what it is about shawls, but I find them wonderfully cozy, warm and especially comforting when they are wrapped around my shoulders...

Photo taken by Jen

Blocking...

Linking with Ginny over at Small Things for the yarn along.

Reading, A Farm in My Heart, such a wonderful book.

Portrait Sunday, Egg Collecting

2011-10-16T20:25:00.000+02:00

I love that I can go outside and collect eggs from our chicken coop each day... I really need an apron for this, but a shirt works just as well... Each egg has its very own colour, shape and texture. I am so grateful for these precious gifts from our chickens...

Our Weekend...

2011-10-15T18:11:00.000+02:00

This has been one of the busiest weekends for us, ever... Last night was the opening show of our city's production of Mary Poppins, oh my, it was excellent!!! I loved it!!! The cast were amazing! Jenna and Erin have been rehearsing for over four months, three times a week and I am one very proud mama:) They will be performing for the rest of the weekend, two shows today, one tomorrow and again the following weekend and the next too. They love it so and have met many wonderful new friends and have learned so much. It really is a lovely experience for them and I am sure they will take part for many years to come... Thank you so much to Protea Stage Productions, you are all so amazing!

Jen is wearing the white shirt at the back looking down, she is an urchin.

Erin is wearing the blue and white skirt, she is an urchin too.

Just wanted to include here what I posted off to my pincushion swap partner, I really have been enjoying all the swaps so much:) Those are little pottery stitch markers in the grass.

On the spinning wheel, some superwash BFL sparkly yarn, it will be in the shop soon.

I will leave you with this last photo of Sandy and Caiden. Whenever the children swim on their boards in the pool, Sandy feels that she must rescue them and take them to the steps...

Have a wonderful weekend,
xo
Linda

Creative Friday

2011-10-14T11:03:00.000+02:00

I sent this little mushroom pincushion to my swap partner for lovely Shannon's Pincushion Swap.

Roses and Potpourri

2011-10-13T17:08:00.000+02:00

Our rose garden has been so beautiful this season, usually in Spring, we will have a few lovely roses appear and then all too soon they wither and are gone. Not this year, they have given us such tremendous blooms and not just one or two on a bush, but eight or ten flowers. When we bought our roses, we wanted plants that were not only lovely to look at but also ones with intense perfume... There is nothing quite like inhaling the scent of a rose, it feels as if you could breath in forever...

Some of the blooms have started to fade and I just couldn't let them fall to the ground, so I picked all that I could find and decided to use them for soap and potpourri.

I picked the petals, the smell was heavenly...

Placed them separately on a piece of paper and left them there to dry, turning them often. Once they were all dry, I placed them in a pretty bowl and dropped a few drops of Lavender essential oil on the dry petals.... You could also put the petals in a little cotton bag with some essential oil on them to perfume your linen or cupboard. I have placed ours on our dining room table at the moment.

This could also be a sweet gift for someone for Christmas or a birthday...
Have an inspired day
xo
Linda

Natural Wool Dyeing with Rooibos Tea

2011-10-12T18:48:00.000+02:00

I have been needing to dye up some Rooibos Tea Merino wool for a Labrador dog that I am going to knit for someone and I thought I would share the process with you. Dyeing wool is such fun and I enjoy natural dyeing because I am using something from nature and that makes it very special to me.

So here we go, just grab some wool and tea and we are off...:)

Materials:

Some Rooibos tea bags, I used about 6

100 grams / 3.5 ounces of wool

Vinegar

First I soaked my wool in some warm water and added a little liquid soap, I left that to soak overnight and then the following day, I squeezed the water out of the wool and placed it in another basin of water and added some vinegar, this helps the colour to stick to the wool. I left the wool in the vinegar water for about an hour.

On the stove, I heated up enough water to cover the wool (once added, not yet) and added the tea bags, brought the water to the boil and let it simmer to release the tea from the bags. Once the water was a lovely rich tea colour and had cooled down quite a lot, I squeezed the water out of the wool in the vinegar solution and added the skeins to the pot. You can remove your tea bags if you wish, but I always leave mine in the dye pot. I slowly heated the dye bath until it was very hot but not boiling and then I turned it down to simmer for about an hour or so. I removed the pot from the stove and allowed it to cool, I usually leave my wool in the dye bath for a few hours and then remove the wool from the pot and place it in a basin of water to rinse out the remaining tea. Keep rinsing the wool until the water runs clear and then hang up to dry.

And there you have it, lovely golden Rooibos tea skeins of wool! Such fun:)

I had a few extra skeins, so I have added them to my shop:) The wool is DK and can be knitted with 4mm / 6 US needles.
Happy dyeing,
xo
Linda

Soap Making

2011-10-11T13:13:00.000+02:00

Well, I did it, I made soap! It took quite a while for me to move past the fear of the Lye (Caustic Soda) ingredient, but now that I have made my first batch, my fears have passed and I am so excited to make more!! I referred to the soap making process on Rhonda's blog and followed her steps. I got everything ready first, put all the materials out on the newspaper covered counter top. I measured out everything and wore my safety goggles and rubber gloves and off I went. My wonderful friend Heidi is a mine of information and she has been guiding me through the process and helping me with lots of my questions. She also suggested a recipe to use that was calculated on Soap Calc, you just put in your ingredients and out pops the correct amounts to use.

I used:
olive oil pomice
coconut oil
distilled water
Lye

You can refer to Rhonda's blog for the weights.
It is very important to work in weight rather that mls.
First, I measured out the oils and put them in my pot on the stove, put my candy thermometer on the side of the pot and started heating the oils up to 70 degrees C slowly.

Then I weighed out the Lye, (this was nerve wrecking, well, because it was Lye I suppose!)

Ok, so now it was time to add the Lye to the water, it is very important to add the Lye to the water and not the other way around or you will have a bad reaction! So this was the MOST scary part, but I did it and guess what? It was absolutely fine:) I placed another candy thermometer into the jug with the mixed Lye / water solution and watched as the temperature rose. It is amazing to see the temperature go up as high as 80 deg C all on its own. The oils were heating and the Lye was heating and then they both started to cool and needed to reach 50 deg C at the same time.

Yes, safety gear, I didn't take these goggles off until my soap was in the moulds:)

Once my oils and Lye had reached 50 deg C at the same time, I poured the oils into a stainless steel bowl and then slowly added the Lye / water solution. Then I started to mix with a spoon, I mixed and I mixed and I mixed... for and hour and 20 minutes and I still hadn't reached trace yet. Well, I then found a whisk and I reached trace in no time, thank goodness! So next time, I will be using a metal whisk and soon I will buy a stainless steel hand blender with a slow setting. Trace is when the mixture becomes a little rippled on top, or makes small waves that stay there and don't fall back into the mixture.

Then I carefully scooped my soap mixture into my moulds and covered them to cure.

The following day, I popped the little soap blocks out of their moulds and they are still curing. So there it is, soap! I am so pleased with my first experience of the process of soap making, please do refer to Rhonda's blog as it is very detailed and she has been making soap for years and she has blogged step by step instructions for soap making. This is my first attempt and I just wanted to blog my experience and share it with you, I have not blogged the entire process here that you would need to make your own soap.
Wishing you a wonderful day,
xo
Linda

Natural Suburbia

Yarn Along

February Sponsors

Bird Life

Weekending

Looking Up...

Creative Friday

Ready for Another Valentine Heart Pattern? Yarn Along

Green...

A Simple Valentine Heart Pattern and Out In the Garden

Creative Friday: A Stick Weaving Tutorial

Beautiful Creatures

Valentine, Heart Shaped Kitchen Trivet Pattern

Easy Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe

Valentine, Heart Bookmark Knitting Pattern

Creative Friday

Yarn Along

Tomato and Onion Soup Recipe

♥♥♥♥ Valentine Swap ♥♥♥♥

Creative Friday

Yarn Along

January?

January Sponsors

Thoughts...

Creative Friday

Yarn Along

Tuesday

Garden Visitors

Merry Christmas

Copper the Red Fox Pattern and a Giveaway

Creative Friday

Yarn Along

Clover, the Farmyard Cow Knitting Pattern & Giveaway

Saturday

Creative Friday

A Humble Announcement...

Yarn Along

Preparing for the Season

Tea / Coffee Cup Cozy Pattern / Tutorial

Creative Friday

Christmas Wreath Ornament Tutorial

Yarn Along

I Love...

Creative Friday

Around our Home...

December

Yarn Along

Christmas Gnome Pattern and a Giveaway

Pig Knitting Pattern and a Giveaway

Creative Friday

Yarn Along

~~Mamma4earth Christmas Giveaway~~

Minature Knitted Mittens Pattern, a Christmas Tree Decoration

Creative Friday

Yarn Along

Monday

On the Couch?

Creative Friday

Yarn Along

Mushrooms and my Book Update

The Lichen Head Scarf, Handmade Holiday 2011

Portrait Saturday

Creative Friday

Green and Yellow in the Garden...

A Lovely Head Scarf / Kerchief Discovery...

Books in the Book Basket

November 1st

Today I Am Grateful For...

Saturday

Creative Friday

A Story of a Sewing Box

Today's Activities

Peas and Beans...

Making Mulberry Jam

Flower and Leaf Garland and a small Giveaway...

Creative Friday

Thursday

Witches Hat Pattern for Halloween

Finished!

Portrait Sunday, Egg Collecting

Mamma4earth Christmas Giveaway