Mandala for Wink

Hello again dear friends,

I have decided to join and contribute to the crochet art initiative currently underway.  The crochet world is indeed in shock at the recent passing of a most talented and creative young lady, Marinke Slump, known to the blog world as Wink, writer of the wonderful blog A Creative Being.  She bravely lived with crippling depression, and eventually succumbed some days ago.

This is such an insidious and dark disease, taking the light out of life, and filling the soul with such numbing hopelessness, pain and despair.  I speak as a sufferer, and from having to keep myself together and keep my two children closely gathered to my being, when their dad took his life. 

My depression is manageable, only occurring very, very occasionally.  I know the signs and can cope with the week or so of fumbling around trying not to go 'down the dark hole' too far.  Most of the time I am fine, happy and coping extremely well with my everyday.  I 'fess up' to taking a mild medication, mostly to control panic attacks that became part of the picture.  

Crochet has been a life saver for me .... I have focus and purpose ..... and this may sound a tad quirky, and I suppose it is, but I don't clench my jaws when I am immersed in a project, playing with colours, planning a pattern, or simply making Minion hats .. I am making many many Minion hats at the moment!! The movie opens here in South Africa in a week or so, and the demand will be great!  I recently made a 'girlie' Minion for the first time, what fun!  May I introduce you to Moppit!

And so I decided to make a Mandala in honour of Wink, using one of her lovely free patterns.  If you would like to join the project, details are available here,  also on Facebook on #MandalasforMarinke

My blogging has slowed, and for that I am sad .... just too much on my plate, as does happen to us all. I have ideas in my head, photos to take, posts to fine tune ..... very exciting!   And to end may I say a huge and heart-felt thank-you to the many dear ladies who leave a comment now and again, it is sooo appreciated.  There is no feeling like it .. 

Until next time, love and light, from Pat x

Another baby blanket update!

Hello again!

Just a quick update on the third of the baby blanket trio I finished in April .... this is such an easy pattern, I loved making this gorgeous 12 point Baby Ripply blanket.  I posted pattern details on this previous post.

Have a most wonderful day

Pat xxxxxxxxx

Cooking is like love ...............

...... it should be entered into with abandon

or not at all!

Julia Childs

And so with this sage advice in mind 

here are some of my favourite and well used

recipe books on my kitchen shelf!

Some books have messages

and are so special, just because of the

beautiful words!

These first two books are written by a favourite couple

in South Africa, Jeremy and Jacqui Mansfield ... each recipe is accompanied by a funny anecdote or photo and the first book titled Zhoozsh (the cover photo in the kitchen) 

was a Mother's Day gift from my children in 2008

and has a looong message on the first page!

The book incidentally finished in third place at the

International Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in London. 

The second book titled Zoozsh! Faking it

was a Mother's Day gift from my children in 2011 ..

and as you may guess, is "all about delicious and trendy dishes that aren't heavy on the pocket" and that don't take hours in the kitchen to produce... just up my street!! 

The next wonderful little recipe book is also by a

South African lady called Annabel Frere ... 

this was a Christmas gift from my youngest son Richard

in 2013 and is one of my favourite go-to books for

fast, easy meals.

Are there any passionate cooks out there who do not have  at least one of Jamie Oliver's cookbooks in their collection?

From the first time I saw Jamie as just a young lad in

The Naked Chef, I was kinda hooked on his enthusiastic approach to cooking and his Kinda Spaghetti Bolognaise is a firm favourite in our house! 

Another very popular cookery writer and teacher in

South Africa is Ina Paarman.  I was lucky enough to meet her at one of her cooking demo's where I bought this

lovely book.  She inscribed a message on the front page for me!

Maya Angelou .... words cannot describe how much I love this inspirational writer and poet .. but did you know she also loved cooking?  

Hallelujah! the welcome table .. A Lifetime of Memories with Recipes not only has dishes evoking memories of her Southern upbringing, there are wonderful stories in chapters titled 'The Assurance of Caramel Cake' and 

'Potatoe Salad towers over Difficulties!' 

It is a truly delightful and much loved book on my shelf. 

I retired in 2011 after working most of my adult life ..

On my last afternoon, after I had left the office, 

I found myself at one of our large bookshops nearby,

sort of just wandering around, not quite believing that I was at looong last, unemployed and very happy about it!

I bought the next book in celebration of my new freedom, and I love it! .. both the book and my 'retired' status!

 

Who remembers the Two Fat Ladies?  They were crazy gals weren't they!  I loved their adventures in the TV series, and although I have not used this following cookbook much, it is very special to me. 

My late mother-in-law gave it to me on one of her visits to South Africa from the UK.  

Many, many years ago, my husband and I had a brief spell owning and running a small Italian restaurant!  Gosh it feels like it was in another lifetime now, but anyway ... I bought this book hoping for much needed inspiration!  It actually has some very nice recipes in it which I still make today!

And so to the final two books ..

I have been following a sugar-free eating lifestyle since February 12 this year.  No mean feat for me .. I am a chocoholic of note, love biscuits and cake, sweet and gooey is my fix.

Fortunately I love vegetables, only eat chicken and fish and have always partaken heartily thereof .. and we also enjoy having fantastic fruit available all year round.

These two books actually belong to my daughter Stellie, who has kindly lent them to me on a 'for-as-long-as-you-need-them' basis .. 

I am happy to report that I am coping well, lost a little weight, but most important of all, feel enormous benefits to my general health already.  Now that I have broken through the 'craving' barrier, I am not going back to my very bad snacking habits, ever.

And on that note, I'm off to have a small glass of very dry Blanc de Noir wine .. not too far off sugar-free but still delicious!

I have so enjoyed writing this post ..

 Julia Child's has the last word ..

"Life itself is the proper binge"

Pat xxxxx

Baby blanket update

Been busy this week..

Here are two completed baby blankets..

Traditional granny squares in greens, blues and turquoise with a block border 

and a hdc edging to finish ...

 and granny squares in yellow with circles in pastel

blue, green and turquoise

with a five row border and a dainty

picot edging to finish ..

Have fun lovely ladies,

until next time

Pat xxxx

Pretty in Pastels

 Pastel colours are so pleasing to the eye.. I love using 

beautiful pastel shades together..

Baby blankets are my current fancy.. 

make up in no time at all..

I happen to have pastels colours aplenty 

and I had some squares already waiting 

for a new home..

This is a lovely square.. 

they look beautiful joined together.. 

using the 'continuous join as you go' map and

the join-as-you-go method

Adding a good generous border..

I love generous borders don't you?

Some granny squares, still just my most favourite 

of all the squares.. 

next up for a beautiful border..

not quite decided what form it will take just yet..

Shades of green, blue and turquoise.. 

and following this great tutorial..

I have never turned my work over after each row

before and I love the new textures I am seeing.. 

I am in love.. 

this is a pattern I will make many times over

I think.. a twelve point circular ripple..

with every row and each colour change I love it more..

Wishing you a wonderful week..

love and light

Pat xxxxxxxx

Stash-busting beauty!

So pleased with how my first stash-busting blanket has turned out! All I needed was white yarn to complete the joining up and the border.

Yarn is acrylic, hook size 5mm. I used this method to join the squares, which creates an attractive defined look to each block.  Most of the squares are conventional Granny squares, with two nice patterned squares thrown in to perk it up!

Pattern for this square is called a Triangle-in-a-Square, fairly easy, takes a bit of practice but is so effective.  (Edit ... just been browsing and look what I found, another take on this fabulous square, take a peek! )

This pattern is by Dly's Hooks and Yarns called Square in a square

The border is in Block St, this link will take you to a good tutorial with pictures on how to do this stitch.

For the border, I worked on the wrong side of the blanket, using white yarn, making 1dc into a stitch, followed by 1sc into the next stitch.  This creates a sort of small bobble on the right side; I wanted to keep the edging simple and quite unobtrusive because the blanket is quite busy. 

We have just had a 'short, sharp shower', ten minutes and it had moved along ... and my thirsty little garden says "thank you" Just spoken to my eldest son in the UK, he tells me he and his lovely girlfriend are heading out to friends, and they are determined to have a "braai' (Barbeque) today, come rain, hail or shine!  Here's hoping for a peak of sun and no showers ..

I hope you are enjoying a lovely Easter filled with yummy goodies, surrounded by your favourite family and friends, bright and sunny weather and having loads of fun.

Love Pat xx

Hannah's Blanket

I have two of the cutest great-nieces on the planet ..... bright as buttons, very cute and the apples of their mamma and pappa's eyes!

This year I committed to making them each a snuggly blanket for their respective birthdays. 

Hannah Denise is dark haired and dainty, loves modern dancing, is in her school choir and enjoys drama, clearly music plays a defined role in her everyday!  She loves art and drawing too ... a very accomplished little lady! She has a quaint sense of style, and has been choosing her outfits for her day from when she was just a teeny tot .. and she is a little girl who likes a neat and tidy space around her! Spends fun time with her sister in their beautiful Wendy House, and loves to play with her many friends, a kind and caring, very special and sweet child.

This is her blanket ~

Yarn is our very good local brand Elle Family DK, Hook size 4mm, and the pattern is Priscilla Hewitt's Sunburst Square.
I added an extra row of Hdc in Lilac before adding the joining rows in white.  I used Attic 24's Join-asyougo method.

For the border I did 4 rows of granny clusters, and then a shell border of 7 dcs in each shell.

Have a most wonderful weekend lovely friends,

Pat xxxxxxxxxxx