Weekend Crochet

I have been working on my crochet again this weekend and I really love this hexagon pattern that is avaliable over at Attic 24, there are some lovely crochet tutorials there. I am just crocheting the circles for now and will finish the hexagon shape when I join the pieces together which means there will be no sewing up, I will just join them as I crochet which is wonderful! I am also working all my ends in at the back so there are no ends to sew up either. I think this pattern will make up an nice cushion cover for a cushion on my rocking chair.

The girls and I are making an African Flower hexagon blanket together, these are a few of our hexagons. It is really great to be working on a project together.

I now have a chunky knitting machine! I love it, I am going to be using it for knitting up pure wool blankets. I have so much superwash handspun and I am going to use it to make winter blankets for everyone in our family. After I cast off I am going to crochet around the sides to stop curling as the blanket is knitted in a stocking stitch. Most knitting machines take thin, even yarn, but this one knits up with handspun and chunky as well! I am very excited:)
I had better be off, it's Earth Hour here in South Africa the next couple of hours.
Happy weekend:)

Gratitude Thursday...

Richard's dog bite is almost healed...

Jenna is cycling in the green and black...

Today, I am grateful for:

• The signs of Autumn slowly starting to show...
• Our one and only pumpkin that grew in the compost heap, self sewn from kitchen veggie scraps, ready to be picked...
• Another African Flower Hexagon almost finished and I just can't seem to stop making them, I am sure there are plenty of other things that need to be done around here besides crochet, but oh... I am having so much fun! I have found this lovely cotton in my stash and it is perfect for my crochet project :)
• Richard working from home this afternoon and helping Kye ride to his bike for the first time...
• Newly planted veggie beds...
• We are so happy for Jen, her photo is in the newspaper for the cycling race she took part in, she is beaming with joy!
• For the beauty that surrounds us, that can be seen in a single flower...

What are you grateful for today?
In gratitude,
Linda
xo

Yarn Along

I have joined in with Ginny's Yarn Along today.

I have been practising crochet stitches over the weekend, I have learned how to increase and decrease as well, I am so excited and inspired! I really LOVE this new skill and I cannot believe it has taken me this long to give it a try! So now I have managed to finish my first African Flower Hexagon and I am going to attempt a small lap blanket for winter:) I am so looking forward to this project, it will probably be a slow one but I am up for the challenge. This amazing tutorial can be found here on Heidi's beautiful blog, her tutorials are so clear and each step is explained concisely with beautiful photos. Have I mentioned how inspired I am! Oh yes, I think I already did....bliss...

Jen has finished her Hand and Wrist Warmers from Last Minute Knitted Gifts, she enjoyed this project immensely. I love how they look:)

She has also taken to crochet and has been making face cloths using a crochet square pattern from The Needlecraft Book. Such a wonderful resource this book:)

Erin has just cast on these lovely fingerless gloves, she is knitting all the ribbing in mohair and the actual glove in merino yarn. There is a lovely flat glove pattern which can also be knitted in the round here on Carle's web page.
So basically, lots of handwork happening in our home at the moment.

We are reading such amazing books at the moment, we have been making Easter crafts from Crafts through the Year, De Aulairs' Book of Norse Myths, Erin is reading The Age of Discovery and Jen is reading Muscles and Bones by Charles Kovacs, they absolutely adore his writing, Erin is also reading Crispin at the moment and I am reading The Old Man and the Sea to the girls.
xo
Linda