Goodbye to Picnik ...........

Hello!!! Firstly let me say that living without the internet at home is slowly killing me so if I sound a little insane today then please forgive me..... Our phone company will not commit as to whether they are going to replace the stolen cables or not so we live in limbo at the moment. I think however, we will cancel the phone this week and endeavour to get wireless connection..... all on Africa time which is, to say the least, slow...

I came to work this morning, turned on the computer, logged into email and discovered to my horror that PICNIK IS CLOSING DOWN!!!! I am devastated. For those of you that don't know, Picnik is a free photo editing online package and is FAB!!! I discovered it a few years ago and then promptly forgot the name of it but was reminded recently by another blogger and I've been using it ever since! Now they've decided to close it down so I set off across the net to find another similar tool.

The good news is I've found one!!! YAY!! It's called Lunapic and it's wonderful.... The photos in this post were done on it and it's also very easy so pop over and give it a try!!! I'm still very sad to lose Picnik but hopefully Lunapic will take it's place......

One thing about not having the internet at home is that I've been busy hooking... I put this together earlier this week but am not sure what it will be when it grows up .....

I'm thinking of a cushion cover but am still not sure.....

I was playing around the other night with various things to try and make a handle for my crochet hook and in the end made these out of oven-bake clay ....

Not the greatest photo I know and the handles are a little knobbly in places but SO much more comfortable to use!!! If you have a craft store nearby please go and get some clay and make one or two for yourself. Cheap as chips and really easy. Mold the clay into a sausage and then gently push the hook down through the sausage. Pinch it at the top around the hook stem and then use a pin to prick the number of the hook size into the bottom otherwise you won't know which hook is which!!!

A couple of friends have asked me to make for them so I'm going to buy more clay in pinks and greens this week...will post more next time!!!

I've finished my Blooming Flower Cushion from Attic24 but have yet to take pics and am starting some grannys squares this evening.  Am going to spend the next hour or so looking for a suitable pattern and playing around with colour options......bliss......

Have a fab day!!!

Creative Plans For 2012.....

Since I'm very restricted at the moment on my internet usage, I thought I'd post very quickly on my creative plans for 2012!

We all make silly resolutions in January of each year about losing weight, getting fit, etc etc and some of us even manage to keep them until mid January but my REAL goals are always the creative ones, the ones that result in me holding something and saying 'I made/grew that!!!' - those are the resolutions that I truly hold dear.

So, what are they I hear you ask... Well, on the crochet front, I would like to tackle a cushion made of these which you can find here

Then I thought I'd have a go at something like this.....

(source: http://yarnroundhook.blogspot.com/2012/01/autumn-blanket-pattern-notes.html)

I LOVE the idea of chocolate brown, strawberry pink and cream ... Neopolitan ice cream on a hot Summer's day .....

.....and I really really really want to make a cushion like this

(source:  http://rosehip.typepad.com/rose_hip_blog/2008/11/index.html)

and when I'm done with all those I'll probably run up another Ripple Blanket.  Little D's is finished but I haven't been able to upload the photos yet so it will have to be for a future post.

On the gardening front, I want my veg garden to look more like this

(source: http://www.fennelandfern.co.uk/blog/2010/01/28/real-gardens-the-old-rectory/)

and less like the jungles of Borneo!!!!! A tall order I know but I think with alot of hard work I may manage to produce something worth eating.... That is, of course, unless we get another Storm From Hell!!!

So, those are my creative plans for 2012. What are yours????

The Great Phone Cable Theft

Well, it had to happen and last week it did. They (our local friendly robbers) stole our phone cables!!! The cables in our area have steadily been disappearing since before Christmas so we knew it was only a matter of time before our little lane was hit! And hit we were!

We now have no landline phone nor internet so I'm reduced to using the internet at our bookshop in between serving customers......

So, I may be a little erratic in my blog posting over the next couple of weeks until we get wireless internet installed at home.

Please bear with me.....normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.....

New Year - New Award!!!!

I had such a lovely surprise today! Kashi from http://www.mamakashi.blogspot.com/ awarded me a Liebster Award!!!! This is an award for new bloggers who have less than 200 followers. The rules are simple : when you receive the award you mention and link back to the person who nominated you, then you award the Liebster to 5 more new bloggers who have less than 200 followers! A wonderful idea and a great way to get new people looking at your blog!

I still can't believe I've been awarded - I think I must sound a bit like one of those mental American actresses when they receive an Oscar but I'm so excited!!!!!!

When I started blogging last year it really was just a record for myself so I could see how the year progressed, what I did personally and what we did as a family and, of course, it was about my little adventure into veg gardening for the first time.....

But now my blog is SO much more....it's taken on a life of it's own and every avenue of my life has crept into it. Sometimes it's like a demanding child and it screams and hollers for attention at the most inconvenient times, but mostly it's like a good friend just sitting there quietly waiting for me to sit down with a cup of coffee to have a chat......

And the people I've met!!! Truly inspiring.... So now it's my turn to say THANK YOU by nominating the Liebster myself. Here are my nominees....

1)  http://www.stocki.blogspot.com/ - here you'll find Jill from the UK who is funny, generous to a fault and very creative. She has some great pattern links on her site and, of course, you'll meet the delightful Fred......

2) http://www.veggiegobbler.blogspot.com/ - a delightful veg growing lady in Australia who lives with Monkey Man and two little monkeys and has a serious problem with the goats next door......

3) You'll meet up with Shelley at http://www.all4meggymoo.blogspot.com/. She's mum to Megan (her inspiration) and still has time to crochet, bake and grow veg!!!

4) Kristen is at http://www.cozymadethings.blogspot.com/. She always makes me smile, is a little quirky (she likes stuffed mice.....) and her blog is a treasuretrove!

5) http://www.hazelsgreenhouse.blogspot.com/ was one of the first blogs I started following as an amateur veg grower. Hazel bought a Fat Fruit Greenhouse last year and is recording all that grows therein for one year..... it's fascinating (if you're into veg growing) and she's made me realise that I WANT A GREENHOUSE!!!!

So, there they are, my five nominations for the Liebster Award. I wanted to nominate Heidi and Mark because theirs are blogs I never miss, but they had too many followers so I couldn't...... 

Quickly before I rush off to do some more teaching prep for school next week - (sigh ... are the holidays really over???) - I just have to post a link to Angie at http://www.lemondedesucrette.com/ who has made this....

which I think is one of the prettiest afghan squares I've ever seen........

And on a final final note (I really am going in a sec...) Little D presented me with this at the end of last year as an early Christmas present -

In case you can't work it out (my photographic skills are not great...) it's a Pig Calendar for 2012 and I LOVE IT!!!! He made it in art class and don't you just adore that pig's face???

and the bling bling beady hanging device???

*** P - E - R - F - E - C - T ***

  I've named him Mr Pig and he hangs by my kitchen door, always there ... just hanging around....

Kid's art rocks!!!!

I really am going now so 'til next time.... xxx

Storm Survivors!

For those gardeners among you, I thought I'd post what little survivors we've found so far in the garden after The Storm From Hell!!!

The cabbage plant that Little D brought back from a farm trip with his school is still going strong. He's very proud......

Unfortunately my standard roses haven't faired so well. Not a bloom to be seen.....

My strawberry patch is still producing leaves but no flowers or fruit.....

And my veg area in general looks very sad. The peppers (front right) are almost completely destroyed but I'm keeping them in just for a few more days to see if they come back to life. The spring onions (next to the peppers) are a little bedraggled but I'm hoping that beneath the soil......and the spinach leaves (back left) are full of holes but there are already new leaves sprouting so there may be hope!

Apart from that, there is no colour left in the garden at all except for these daisies (can't remember their real names) that I planted in some pots by a sheltered wall of the house.....they flower bravely on.....

So, that's our garden post storm. Let's hope we don't have another one......

Window Star Granny Square Pattern

Well, here goes. My first pattern blog post!!!!!! I have made this three times now and it always seems to work but if you spot a mistake, please please please let me know! I used pure cotton for the one above but for the tutorial I used double knitting wool and a 4mm hook for both.

I've done each round in a different colour to make it easier to see the different rounds in the pictures.

Scroll down to the end of the tutorial and after the last picture is the pattern with no pictures (for easier printing if you need to).

Here's the pattern using UK terminology:

Round 1
Work 12 tr into the ring. Join with a sl st into the top of the first tr.

Round 2

Sc in same st as joining, 3ch, (dc in next tr, 3ch) 11 times. Join with sl st to 2^nd chain of first 3ch.

Round 3

Sl st into first 3ch space, 1ch, dc, 3ch, dc, (dc in next 3ch space, 3ch, dc in same space) 11 times. Join with sl st into first 1ch.

Round 4

Sl st into first 3ch space, 1ch, *(tr, 4ch, tr, 2ch) into same 3ch space to make the first corner, (dc in next 3ch space, 2ch) 2 times*. Repeat from * to * 3 times. Join with sl st into top of first tr.

 Round 5

Sl st into first 4ch space, 2ch, 4tr into same space (corner), (3tr in next 3ch space) 3 times, *5tr in next 4ch space, (3tr in next 3ch space) 3 times*. Repeat from * to * 2 times. Join with sl st into first 2ch.

 Round 6

1ch, (dc, 3ch, dc, 2ch) into 3^rd chain of 5ch corner, skip next st, (dc in next st, 2ch, skip next st) 6 times, *(dc, 3ch, dc, 2ch) in next st, skip next st, (dc in next st, 2ch, skip next st) 6 times*. Repeat from * to * 2 times. Join with sl st to first 1ch.

Round 7

Sl st into first 3ch corner space, tr, 4ch, tr, 1ch into same space (corner), (tr in next 2ch space, 1ch) 7 times, *(tr, 4ch, tr, 1ch) in next 3ch space, (tr in next 2ch space, 1ch) 7 times*. Repeat from * to * 2 times. Join with sl st to first tr.

Round 8

Sl st into first 4ch corner space, (dc, 4ch, dc, 2ch) into same space (corner), (dc in next 1ch space, 2ch) 8 times, *(dc, 4ch, dc, 2ch) in next 4ch space (corner), (dc in next 1ch space, 2ch) 8 times*. Repeat from * to * 2 times. Join with sl st to first dc.

Round 9

Sl st into first corner space, 5tr in same space, 2tr in next 2ch space 9 times, *5tr in next 4ch space, (2tr in next 2ch space) 9 times*. Repeat from * to * 2 times. Join with sl st to first tr.

Window Star Granny Square Pattern (with no pictures)

Round 1

Work 12 tr into the ring. Join with a sl st into the top of the first tr.

Round 2

Sc in same st as joining, 3ch, (dc in next tr, 3ch) 11 times. Join with sl st to 2^nd chain of first 3ch.

Round 3

Sl st into first 3ch space, 1ch, dc, 3ch, dc, (dc in next 3ch space, 3ch, dc in same space) 11 times. Join with sl st into first 1ch.

Round 4

Sl st into first 3ch space, 1ch, *(tr, 4ch, tr, 2ch) into same 3ch space to make the first corner, (dc in next 3ch space, 2ch) 2 times*. Repeat from * to * 3 times. Join with sl st into top of first tr.

Round 5

Sl st into first 4ch space, 2ch, 4tr into same space (corner), (3tr in next 3ch space) 3 times, *5tr in next 4ch space, (3tr in next 3ch space) 3 times*. Repeat from * to * 2 times. Join with sl st into first 2ch.

Round 6

1ch, (dc, 3ch, dc, 2ch) into 3^rd chain of 5ch corner, skip next st, (dc in next st, 2ch, skip next st) 6 times, *(dc, 3ch, dc, 2ch) in next st, skip next st, (dc in next st, 2ch, skip next st) 6 times*. Repeat from * to * 2 times. Join with sl st to first 1ch.

Round 7

Sl st into first 3ch corner space, tr, 4ch, tr, 1ch into same space (corner), (tr in next 2ch space, 1ch) 7 times, *(tr, 4ch, tr, 1ch) in next 3ch space, (tr in next 2ch space, 1ch) 7 times*. Repeat from * to * 2 times. Join with sl st to first tr.

Round 8

Sl st into first 4ch corner space, (dc, 4ch, dc, 2ch) into same space (corner), (dc in next 1ch space, 2ch) 8 times, *(dc, 4ch, dc, 2ch) in next 4ch space (corner), (dc in next 1ch space, 2ch) 8 times*. Repeat from * to * 2 times. Join with sl st to first dc.

Round 9

Sl st into first corner space, 5tr in same space, 2tr in next 2ch space 9 times, *5tr in next 4ch space, (2tr in next 2ch space) 9 times*. Repeat from * to * 2 times. Join with sl st to first tr.

Beautiful Blogger Blanket 2012

Today I posted 9 granny squares to Jill at http://stocki.blogspot.com/ for her Beautiful Blogger Blanket 2012. I had intended only to make 4 squares but (as usual) got a bit carried away. This is what I sent.

All of them are my own creations except for the two small squares with flowers on them. They are the Crochet Flower Square from Beata at http://www.rosehip.typepad.com/ which I think are gorgeous!!!

Apart from Beata's, my favourite is the bottom left hand square which I've called Window Star. I'll be posting the pattern for this in the next couple of days so watch this space....

There's still time to submit your squares to Jill. Entries close at the end of Jan so if you get hooking now, you can still send them! Good luck!

10 Things For 2012!

Okay. So it's January 1st 2012 - a day for new beginnings, new promises and new intentions. So here are mine for the next 12 months.....

1) Get lounge suite reupholstered or recover it myself. Now this may not mean very much to anyone else but it would mean a whole load of happiness to me. We've had our 3-piece for 17 years (as long as we've been married) and it's brilliant! It's one of those real slouchy, puffy cushioned ones that wraps itself around you the minute you sit down. We have NO intention of replacing it but the foam in the cushions is almost flat (thanks to little feet using it as a trampoline....) and the fabric is looking just a little tired. I intended to get it done last year but finances didn't run to it and we had more important things to spend the money on ... school fees being one! So 2012 will definitely be the year of the revamped lounge suite. Watch this space.

2) Knit 3 pairs of socks each for DH and myself for winter. Yes I know, I could go out and buy us perfectly good socks but homemade ones are sooooooooo much nicer (and warmer). Our bookshop gets VERY cold in the winter and if my feet are nice and toasty then I feel warm all over. I have a great pattern for 2 needle socks (I can't manage the double pointed patterns) and they're really easy and fit like a glove.

3) Have flowering pots on my patio all year round. I have no excuse here. I live in a country where we have stunning weather and where it is possible to have flowers even in winter.

4) Crochet a minimum of 4 cushion covers for the lounge suite. This is obviously dependent on No 1 above being done but even if it doesn't happen, I can get the cushion covers ready for when it does happen! I have a number of patterns in mind namely, Lucy's Blooming Flower Cushion from Attic24, a Ripple cushion (of course), a flat circle cushion, and a granny square cushion but am not sure which pattern yet. May be this one of Lucy's at Attic24 or this one by Sarah London.

5) Lose weight - this sadly is an ongoing mission. I will do my best to shed a few pounds but am not going to deny myself too much .... life's too short.

6) Make a doorway curtain - we have an open archway in our living room that goes into a spare bedroom and although DH has rigged up a sliding door, it still lets through an almighty draught in the winter. So, thanks to Kristin at Cozy Things I've decided to put up a curtain in front of the sliding door. Perhaps the combination of the two will actually keep us warm!

7) Declutter wardrobe - This largely goes hand in hand with No 5. I have a cupboard full of clothes that 'maybe I'll get into one day' but deep down I know I probably won't. So, the time to be ruthless has come. Out with anything I haven't worn in the last 12 months and from now on NO SPONTANEOUS SHOPPING! These are always disasters for me. I need to go shopping with a list of the clothes that I have as well as the colours etc. I get too distracted otherwise and end up buying wool!!!!

8) Grow more veg. I started on this venture late last year and things were going well until The Storm From Hell hit!!! I may manage to salvage a few strawberries but I will not be put off. This year will see more seeds planted and veg WILL grow!!!!!

9) Keep a list of books I've read. I keep meaning to do this and every year I forget. People in my bookshop ask me to recommend books I've enjoyed and I can never remember the titles!!! So from now on a list will be kept. First up will be Worth Dying For by Lee Child. I've just finished it (does it count if I finished it on New Years Eve??) and it was fab!!!!

and lastly,

10) Cook more!!! Now my DH may have something to say about this as my cooking history is not good. However, I am determined and a woman with a mission is not to be stopped! I'll keep you posted.....

Do you have any plans/intentions/dreams/goals for 2012. If so, please share..............

The storm from Hell......

We had a storm here yesterday. Actually, it wasn't so much of a storm as a visit from Hell!!!! We had hail stones the size of my fist and although it lasted only 15 minutes, it was devastating! The picture below was taken nearly 2 hours after the storm ended and this hail stone is still huge!!!!

The hail fell so hard it sounded like rocks being dropped on the roof and it smashed 10 of our windows, shredded some of our gutters and completely trashed our solar panels! There isn't a tree left in the garden with any leaves and my neighbour's car windscreen is completely gone!!

One of our gutters!

What's left of our solar panels.....

When I eventually ventured outside, the first thing I saw was Little D's ride on tractor sitting amid a sea of hail and water....

In terms of world disasters this probably doesn't mean very much, but to our small farming community it really was horrific! It's mid-Summer now and most of the farms have fields and fields of corn. Or they did have........