Recovery Mode

Today is very quiet as I recover from the night before.
It is the Sunday after the Saturday night in the city.  
I'm sure we've all had one of those!

But it's not what you think. 

Pretty tame, really, but for a body like mine, an evening out without a nap in the afternoon beforehand is the equivalent of partying non-stop through a long weekend with no breaks.  Like a 'smashing' fun party, it was worth it for the experience and the memories but it will take a while to recover.

Sigh … Yes, there are beds to be made, dishes and laundry to be done and a house to tidy and a week to plan. Do you think I am physically up to those tasks? No!

So the next best thing to do is to laze around and catch up on blogging!  
(Yes, it has been quite a while!)

Lost and Found

My how time flies!   

We have been living in 2018 for more than three weeks and it has taken me this long 

to get here to wish you a 

H A P P Y   N E W   Y E A R   ! 

A Bowl of Cherries

Cherries are one of the joys of Christmas in Australia.

They are only in season for a few short weeks. 

Christmas Smiles

A bright, Christmas star light
suspended from a string of smaller Christmas lights
on display in Lobethal, South Australia
24 December 2017

Merry Christmas!

 May your day be
happy and bright.

For some extra Christmas cheer, let me introduce you to a crafty character that is bound to 'put a smile on your dial.'

Simple Crocheted Finger Puppets & Lupey Long-distance Gifts

Once upon a time, there were two little children, a girl and a boy. The girl was 2 years of age and her brother was almost 6 months old.

These darling children are very much loved by a large family with lots and lots of cousins–an ample supply of playmates.

The children have regular contact with most of their cousins but there are some that live more than 1000 kilometres away! (That's me and my family.)




Christmas and birthdays present a challenge when choosing 'long-distance' gifts. I'm here to share my pattern for crocheted finger puppets and to explain how they were the perfect choice for two young children and their cousins at Christmas (2016).

Lobethal Lights Christmas 2016

Merry Christmas!

Come with me, this Christmas Eve, to Lobethal,
 a little German village in the Adelaide Hills. 

Shower Gel Hanger

In my flurry of Christmas gift making, I decided that the shower gel container needed a holder or caddy of some sort to make it easy to reach while in the shower or bath.

1 Week, 3 Projects!

The week leading up to Christmas was very busy with last-minute crocheted gifts. I surprised myself by making three items from start to finish in one week!

Seeing Double

Top: second and latest scarf (14 pattern repeats long)
Bottom: first scarf (15 pattern repeats long)

It's not your eyes!

I made a second filet crochet scarf just like the first (well, almost!)

These scarves differ in length. After making two scarves from one skein of 5 ply yarn, with barely anything left over, I am very pleased with the results. Now that I am not in such a (Christmas rush) hurry to make another scarf, there is time to explain the finer details.

Cute Christmas Craftiness

Christmas 2014 brought some cute hand-made surprises.

My sideboard had a red, white and black theme in 2014.
A bit fuzzy? Stay calm, it's not your eyes! 
My phone took these photos and they are not as crisp as usual; a lesson learned.

Harmony & Peace Award

What a surprise greeting upon my return to blogland–an award nomination for a:

Harmony & Peace Award.

This has certainly caught my attention because I long for a more peaceful world. Blogging surely has a role to play in developing mutual understanding between people; to foster peace, goodwill, and help for those in need. Those of us who have the resource of the internet at our fingertips are lucky. We can choose to use it for good or for bad. Please use it for good!

Leaving the altruism aside for a more selfish moment, I do like the sound of a Harmony & Peace Award because I do like hearing voices in musical harmony*–music is important in my life–and, as any mother of three children (like me) will tell you, a little peace (and quiet) is bliss! 

Happy Holiday Reads

Thank you to the beautiful and thoughtful angel who sent me some lovely holiday reading.

Merry Crochet Christmas!

I am the  project you may have espied in the Sneak Peek on Friday the 13th (of December).

Multi-tasking Motifs

What do you do when you find an irresistible Christmas motif to crochet, but the type of project leaves you cold?  Here are some other ways to incorporate that gorgeous motif into a meaningful model of crocheted Christmas cheer.

Downtime

Major pain + fatigue day.  
1:00 p.m. came and went and I was still in bed, after drifting between dozing and daydreaming.  It is after 4:00 p.m. now. I’ve managed to get myself to the couch. 

Teen walks through the room: “Now this is a turn of events–normally it’s me still in my ‘jamas’ at this time of the day!” 

Christmas Tea Towels & Other Ideas

Christmas is almost upon us again, and I wonder whether you are in the throes of Christmas crafting, super-organised and done already, or, like me, just beginning to contemplate!

I have some lovely Christmas crochet links to share with you.

I reckon a lot of crocheted tea towel tops will be given as Christmas gifts this year because they are so quick and easy, plus my TeaTowel Party blog entry has had more visitors than usual lately in the lead-up to Christmas.

A Crochet Christmas!

Someone must have told everyone that I like to crochet!  This Christmas I received a number of thoughtful crochet-related gifts–a mix of reading material, yarn and equipment (clockwise from top left):

Christmas Eve Yarnbombing

Christmas Eve is here, and I celebrated by going into the city to see the lights and sights. Most of the public buildings such as the town hall were adorned with bunting and lights, while the trees lining the main thoroughfares twinkled with fairy lights. Very pretty. The weather was mild and many people were out and about, yet the city was still quiet with a relaxed atmosphere. 

Crafty Christmas Surprises

One of the best things about Christmas is the opportunity to catch up with friends and family. It's been a busy week of preparations, punctuated by joyful interludes with welcome visitors, the delivery of newsy letters from faraway friends and many phone calls with long-overdue chats.

Socks for Christmas

Do you give or receive socks at Christmas time? Socks are often an integral part of Christmas, birthday and fathers' day gifts. Last year, my family gave me the joy of socks...