Another long overdue FGX update

Here are some more Crochet Partners Friendship Granny Exchange squares I've received:
Top row: Basic Granny, Pumpkin Square, Basic Granny
Middle row: Solid Granny, unknown, unknown
Bottom row: Angel (Beata Ball), Little Boxes, "Debbie" (so named because I received it from Debbie W, liked it but didn't recognise the pattern and so set about working it out. If you recognise it please let me know where it can be found. Otherwise, I'll post my pattern for it sometime in the not too distant future.)

And the squares I've sent:
Top row: Scrappy Woven Marvel (Definitely Different Afghans by Diana Lynn Sippel, LA #1288), Camellia, Tibetan Prayer Flags (my own design)
Middle row: Willow (200 Crochet Blocks for blankets, throws and afghans by Jan Eaton), Postage Stamp (Artsy Afghans by Kathleen D Garen, LA #4592), Postage Stamp variation
Bottom row: Star Stitch, Puffs & Posts (sadly, this lovely pattern is no longer available online as the pattern has been sold), my design (doesn't even have a name )

I received my 42nd square back in April and started a 6x7 square afghan (with a wide border) in July (it had to wait until I'd finished another afghan!).
I'm using Priscilla Hewitt's Flat Braid join to join the squares and I really like how it's looking so far.

I Love the NHS

Greetings, American readers.

Things are going a little crazy in your neck of the woods. Just wanted to drop my 2¢ in here.

I lived in the United States for 11 years. Some of my family still does. I had really good medical cover through the company I worked for and, thankfully, never needed any major medical treatment. If either of those hadn't been the case, I might well not be "talking" to you now.

Our National Health Service (NHS) isn't perfect - no system ever is - but it's wonderful. If I come down with Swine Flu or get hit by a bus or need an operation I don't even have consider how much the treatment is going to cost me and whether I can afford it. I can concentrate on getting better.

My family has needed the services of the NHS on many occasions over the years, sometimes for very serious complaints, and I am thankful and grateful for the excellent care we have received.

And if you're not sure what I'm talking about, may I recommend Michael Moore's "Sicko"?

Stay healthy! xx

Know Thyself

Wandering the internet as I do, I regularly stumble across other peoples' avatars. I've always thought how nice it must be for them to have a little graphic Mini-Me that inhabits their cyber-world. I have coveted those avatars and have spent a fair bit of time working away on various avatar-creator websites in search of an image to call my own.

I have not been successful.

No matter how hard I tried, no matter how many noses and hairstyles I sampled, nothing I created bore the slightest resemblance to Me. Perhaps all those other avatars don't live up to their owners' expectations either. Perhaps they deliberately designed an "alter-ego" - a completely different and separate internet persona. Perhaps they just picked the best of a bad lot.

No, I have not been successful. Until now.

Yes, I have at last found perfection. The cartoon creation that captures my essence, my soul. The pixel portrait that would enable any of my readers to instantly recognise me should they ever pass me in the street.

And where did I discover the real me, you ask?

South Park.
I should have known.

Crocheted Baby Hat Pattern Links

I'm back with those pattern links I promised you in my previous post.

Top row, left to right:
1) Adjustable Ribbed Preemie Cap
2) Teresa's 10 Minute Preemie Hat
3) Bev's Newborn Roundie Hat
4) Stretchy Crocheted Hat
Bottom row:
1) Pattern on Ravelry - Andrew's Charity Hats group
2) Barb's Seamless Crocheted Baby Hat (flower pattern here)
3) Gotcha Covered #2
4) Pattern on Ravelry - xoxoMargot's Baby Hat

As of Saturday, 20 June Andrew had received 719 hats, and there are more on the way!

Update 23/6/09: 849!

Spiral Baby Hat

I've been inspired by a ten-year-old named Andrew to make baby hats for Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, NC (see his project page at DoSomething.Org and more info here at Ravelry). In the process of trying out the various lovely hat patterns I found online (pics and links to follow) I had an idea for this one:

Spiral Baby Hat
(American notation)

Yarn: Light 3 (Double Knit, Light Worsted)
Hook: G/4mm
Finished size:
H 4½”, W 5½ ”




Base:
Make a Magic Ring (instructions here) or ch 4 and join to form a ring.
1) In ring work sc, hdc, 10 dc – do not join but continue working around
(12 st)
2) Working in the back loop only (blo) 2 dc in ea st (24 st)
3) In blo (2 dc, 1 dc) around (36 st)
4 – 7) In blo 1 dc in ea st (36 st)
8) In blo dc in nxt 32 st, hdc in nxt 2 st, sc in nxt 2 st, slst into both loops of dc at beg of rnd. Finish off.

At this point my hat was 4½” high and 5” wide and looked a little too narrow. But once I worked the contrasting spiral stitches it stretched out to 5½” wide and looked more in proportion.

Contrasting Spiral:
Join the contrasting colour with a slst in the unused front loop of the first sc of rnd 1, ch 1; continue to (slst, ch1) in ea front loop to the edge of hat; continue pattern around edge working into both loops; end with slst into 1st slst at edge. Finish off. Pull the beginning tail thru the centre hole of the hat and weave in.

© Judy M Kerr, 2009. All Rights Reserved.

Please email me if you spot any goofs or have any problems with this pattern - sofar_sogood at btinternet dot com

Andrew has been making hats himself on a knitting loom. His original goal was 200 hats by June 20, but he's had such a wonderful response from all the knitters, crocheters and loomers out there that he's topped that already. His new goal is now 500 hats! Piece o' cake.

World Tarot Day

Happy World Tarot Day!

Have you hugged your deck today?

I ♥ Cyprus!

DH and I went to Cyprus for the first time back in March (I know, very late - took me ages to sort out the photographs). We have friends who sold up and moved out there last December and they invited us to come and stay with them.

Well, we certainly went at the right time of year. Everything was lush and green and awash with wildflowers,...
all the lemon and orange trees were in bloom and smelling marvelous (it seems like every street is lined with them and virtually every garden has one or the other or both),...and it was bright and sunny but not too hot.
We were only there for 8 days so we didn't travel too far afield -
Agia Napa,...Cape Gkreko,... around the towns in the Famagusta District... and a trip up to Salamis in Northern Cyprus.
Our friends said to come back in October - when it should, again, be sunny but not hot - and we'll all go off to the Troodos Mountains, the other side of the island, for a few days.

The people were so nice and friendly, there was hardly any traffic and the food was fantastic (if you're ever in Paralimni, go to Ttappis Tavern!). I told DH if we ever come into money I'm buying a holiday home there. I can't wait to go back. Not sure we can afford another trip this year but I'm saving up!

Grandchild #2

Born 17 March 2008
Adopted 4 December 2008
Adoption finalised 31 March 2009
(PS He's gorgeous!)

It's Friday! Get yur boogie on!

I would if I had this bird's moves!

Bird Shakes His Tailfeather @ Yahoo! Video

Squares, glorious squares

Long overdue, here is another CrochetPartners Friendship Granny Exchange (FGX) update:

Received (not all that) recently:

Clockwise: Puff Stitch Heart (similar pattern here), Bride's Square, unknown, interesting Granny Square variant (anyone know the pattern?)

Sent (also not all that) recently:

Clockwise: Granny Square variant (based on the one in the Granny-Along header, Circle of Hope, Heather's Flowers, Spring Breeze

I've since sent and received enough additional squares to do another "2x2" update but I'll give you a bit of breathing space. ;-)

I'm now only 5 squares away from being able to start my FGX afghan!

Lord love a duck!

I get a daily hit of Cute Overload! Makes.My.Day. Big, big thank you to CO for bringing me this little item:



I so had to share that with y'all. I recommend you sign up for your daily dose of Cute.

We still thinkin' about yuh*

ROI ANKHKARA KWABENA
23 July 1956 - 9 January 2008

Info

*from "Whether or Not" by Roi Kwabena (MP3 audio)

Happy New Year - 2009!

Every 1 January since 2007 I make a point of working on this afghan:

Details of the whys and wherefores can be found on The No-End-In-Sight Ripple-Along blog, but, as you can see, in three New Years I haven't gotten very far (and yes, I do occasionally - very occasionally - work on it at other times). Well, for 2009 I've resolved that all my WIPs will be subject to the "Finish It or Frog It" rule. I've got stacks of WIPs to get through but this one is a definite finisher!

Wishing you all a very productive 2009!

Snowflake Monday Christmas Special

In honour of the new granddaughter:

A "ruby" flake for Ruby's first Christmas! The pattern is called "Lovely Snowflake" and it's from a book, but I don't know which one. Sorry all you pattern hounds.







But we've since had an additional new addition.

DS and his partner are in the process of adopting Matthew. He came home with them 4 December. So, naturally, he has a flake, too:

I think this is a nice, boyish flake for Matthew's first Christmas. It's #8 from Sally V George's Crochet Works.

Both flakes were made with Anchor Arista thread and a 2 hook.






Boy and girl grandbabies, just in time for Christmas - perfect!

Christmas is a-Coming, the Cook is Getting Fat

In the "12 (and Only 12) Days of Christmas" group on Ravelry the call went out for favourite Christmas foods. As the name of the group suggests, we try not to overdo it. I've been trying for years to simplify our Christmas (and meeting with a fair amount of opposition) but one thing I do need for Christmas is... Christmas Cake!! And you need to get them made fairly early so that they have a chance to mature (and you have a chance to give them a real good soaking with your alcohol of choice).

As the recipes are fairly long, I've posted my two favourites here and put a link to them in the group. So, even if you're not signed up on Ravelry (why not?!) you can still check them out.

Boiled Fruit Cake
Super easy, moist and delicious. Use any standard mug as your cup measure (my cup = 300ml/10 fl oz).

In a large saucepan place

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 3 cups fruit (I use 1 c raisins, 1 c sultanas, 100g candied peel and rest of cup topped up w/ currants)
• 6 oz butter (or margarine)

Boil and leave to cool.

Stir in

• 2 eggs, beaten

Then

• 2 cups self-raising flour (or plain flour + 1 T baking powder)
• spice (optional) (I use 1 t ea cinnamon & nutmeg,
  ½ t allspice)
• 2 cups glace cherries

Pour into a 9" loose-bottomed cake tin and bake on the middle shelf at 150°C/300°F for 2 hrs 15 minutes.

FRUIT! Fruit Cake
Oh, I love this cake! Adapted from LaVerle McCandless' family recipe (five generations and going strong).
For my British readers, 1 cup = 8 fluid ounces = an average teacup;
1/4 cup = 4 tablespoons

• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 4 cups chopped pecans
• 1 lb candied cherries
• 1 lb candied pineapple
• ½ lb chopped dates
• 6 oz/170g butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 5 eggs, beaten
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp grated lemon rind

This recipe makes 1 tube pan or four 7"x4"x4" pans or 2 loaf pans or 6 baby loaf pans (I halve the recipe and use one 9"x5"x2½" loaf pan).

Grease and flour the pans, then line the bottoms with greaseproof paper.

Mix flour, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Coarsely chop the fruit and nuts and then stir them into the flour.

Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Stir in the beaten eggs, vanilla and lemon juice. Stir in the lemon rind. Combine with the fruit and nuts.

Bake the tube pan at 140ºC/275º F for 1½ hours
Bake the other pans at 120ºC/250ºF for 1½ hours

(You may find that some butter leaches out of the cake – just pour it off, the cake will be fine. I’ve already reduced the amount of butter the original recipe called for; you may want to experiment with even less)

When cooled, wrap in cling film, then in foil.

To quote LaVerle:

If you want to spike the fruit cake, cover a plate with cling film, place the fruit cake on it and pour a shot glass (2 Tbsp) of rum, whiskey or what you like over the fruit cake and let sit for a day. Then wrap and store in fridge or freezer. Be sure you mark these spiked cakes as spiked.

Slice fairly thin as this is a very rich fruit cake. I can almost guarantee that this fruit cake will not be used as a hockey puck or door stop.

A new flake for Snowflake Monday

A member of Crochet Partners recently posted a link to her new Crochet Lace Snowflake pattern. It was a must-try!


So I did. :-)










Her sample is blocked much more gently than mine and has a nice, rounded look to it. I'll have to make another one and try not to pin it out quite so vigourously, LOL.

It was a fun flake to work and so nice to find a fresh, new pattern. Anyone else designing out there?

Our First Grandchild

Born Sunday, 26 October 2008 at 6:23 pm
Weight: 8 lbs 13½ ozs

Snowflake Monday

Hot on the heels of my previous Snowflake Monday post (well, only 4 weeks; that's good for me!)

This is the Chain Loop Snowflake from the Better Homes and Gardens website.










This is the Open Chain Loop Snowflake from the same page.










And this one is Snowflake No.4 from More Snowflakes in Crochet Thread by Mary Thomas, ASN #1038.

Thou shalt decide for yourself

---

National Quaker Week - 4 to 12 October 2008

I am a Quaker. Have been for 14 years now. The Quaker way of doing things suits my temperament, my world view and my spirituality.

The National Quaker Week website invites readers to listen to nine people explaining why they decided to be a Quaker. If you've ever wondered what Quakers are all about give 'em a listen.

Dear God...

Crane Flies*...

WHY?!?

*Tipula paludosa, known in our household as Clunk Bugs because they're useless fliers and when they get in your house they bumble about and "clunk" into everything. For those of you not familiar with these little darlings, the body alone is over an inch long. Then there's those legs! EEEeeeeekkkk!!!