The other Xmas Blanket

Hex Blanket Bluey, originally uploaded by Aussie Maria.

Hi everyone

Did not get a photo of the other Xmas Blanket for DD3 as it was in hiding from her and her fiance.

So now they have their own place and have it on display here it is in all its glory.

The colours were DD3 choice

Bye for now

Santa has been .....

Hi everyone

Well yesterday was another 40C day.  Thank goodness a little rain followed very late last night and today.  That is no consolation for the fire-fighters battling the many blazes around the country.  My thoughts and wishes are with these wonderful people, many of who are volunteers.  Unfortunately two of these volunteers lost their homes yesterday in one of these fires.  I know there will be many people who rally around them and help them through this extremely hard time.

Hubby will be on holiday from tomorrow till just after new year.  I think this might mean that I won't get much time to blog.  So don't think I have disappeared, just hubby getting me to run round for him.  :-)

Well as second gift has been completed.

The ripple pillow has a partner.

Just to prove it, here is a photo

The last gift I have been working on is almost done.  Well enough to gift it.  I can finish it off after Sunday.  Here is a glimpse ...

Then yesterday, the postie left me this parcel...

Now for the first time I entered a swap which was run by Jellywares (you may have seen the button on the right hand side).

Many thanks Jodies for running this swap.

So as it was my first, I was excited to see what was inside.  So when I saw this, I was just a little excited, lots of oohhing and aahhing - and that was just because of the bag.  I was so thrilled with it.

I cannot believe the generosity of spirit, the time, the effort, the thought that went into this package.  Just the bag was making me smile and feel so festive and a general feeling of good-will

Almost forgot to look inside as I thought the bag was so very cute.  But I could hear a jangly noise, so curiosity got the better of me.  Oh my....... not one, not two but ........

Six!!!!! absolutely beautiful Xmas cloths.  Oh my, oh my.  They are so beautifully made.  I have a green Christmas Tree and a Christmas Ornament, a red Candy Cane and a Santa, a white Dove and Candle.

Oh me, oh my, so very pretty and the work is exquisite.

My favourite Christmas colours and she even used some of my favourite yarn - Bendigo Woollen Mills

But hang on, that did not explain the jangly noise, must look a bit further ....

and look what I found

Isn't he just the cutest!!!!!

So apt for my blog too

Now it seems I am lucky to have him as the gifter wanted him too.

I promise you he will be well taken care of.  Might even start a new Christmas collection, just around him.

I really should start a Aussie Christmas collection and I think Kenny the Koala most definitely will be the beginning.

Now doesn't he look so cute on my Christmas Tree ....

Now I know that I have not mentioned the lovely person who gifted these wonderful gifts to me

It is ......

Knitter Sue!!!!!!!

A blog I have only recently started reading and love

So Sue, I give my heartfelt thanks for such a beautiful, wonderful and exciting gift.

On that note

Bye for now

And Merry Christmas to all with wishes for happiness, peace and relaxing time with family and friends

Favourite Christmas symbol

Hi everyone
Well where do I start today (slight frown on face)? mmmmm..........

Well to keep me in the spirit of Xmas, I am going to start with my favourite Xmas symbols/people/ideas - anything really.  Please join in and mention yours.

While I do love Santa, and Rudolph is so cute and I love his story (as you will see from my knitting cloths) - my favourite of all has to be .....

Mrs Claus Knitted, originally uploaded by Aussie Maria.

Mrs Claus!!!!!!
Yeah for Mrs Claus!!!!!

She works so hard all year round to help things run smoothly at the North Pole. She very rarely gets recognition of all that she does. But does this stop her? No, she keeps going and finds more to do to ease Santa and the elves jobs.

This is because she so loves sharing, caring and spreading the joy of Xmas!!! The joy not of large, expensive gifts (although if your lucky enough to receive, make sure you say a HUGE thank you), but the joy of having family and friends around, to make contact with others. To renew friendships and keep families together

You will note that this Mrs Claus has her own family around her here! Of course, Santa, who is joined by Mrs Frosty. Just never got around to making Frosty, although I do enjoy the song

Just as an afterthought - the other Xmas blanket I am working on, which is a hexagon.  Well I decided to attempt something new - "join-as-you-go" which I first saw at Attic 24 who noticed it Moonstitches (tutorial on right hand side bar).

Well!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wish I had of thought of attempting this from the first blanket - it is so easy, and not sure if I do it right, but it has given this new blanket a lovely pattern as well  :-)

Bye for now and hoping that the spirit of Xmas is around

Hemispheres

Hi everyone
Last night I got to thinking before falling asleep - now that is dangerous for me, especially if it is something I am trying to work out. And last night it was colour!!!!

All through our winter I was craving, needing, wanting rainbow colours - Red, Pink, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Lavender & Purple and thus my rainbow Hex blanket started. Unfortunately I ran out of Yellow one row short, which leads to the possibility of Red & Orange going the same way, so will have to wait while I order the wool online from here.

So my mind is wandering - I have started my DD2's Rabbitohs blanket (which even better is Xmas colours!!!!!)

Now a lot of people love colour in cold, dull winters - so I am "normal".

But last night .........

The colours racing through my head were inspired by this and this.

So yes, I now feel the need for ....

deep, liquid Shiraz red
soft, pumpkin orange
liquid gold
dark, forest green
and lovely, chocolate, yummy brown

Am I in the wrong hemisphere ??????

The colours are autumn colours!!!!!! And I am going very shortly into summer.

Now I am NEVER, EVER, EVER ahead of fashion, trends etc. So then that means I must be a season out on the other side of the world!!!! :-))))))

And some of my most favourite flowers also match this - daffodils (which I have never managed to grow too well as the weather is always too warm) and tulips - I love them!!! Need to get to the Bowral Tulip festival or even better Tasmania.

Lucky DH found me some to watch open :-)
Bye for now

Hex Blanket

Hi everyone
Well although we have been at home all week with DH, I could not get to the computer to "talk" :-). But I did put the time to good use by joining my Hex's. Here is a small glimpse of what is to come. Although I originally did want 'in your face loud' colours, I am loving the slightly muted shadings in the colours I chose. After seeing the elderly patients in the hospital I really felt the need to assist in some small way and I am NOT a hospital or nursing type of person. Then I remembered "Slippers with Soul" via K4C- KAL (knit-along) Yahoo group (which is connected to K4C). Exactly what I wanted to assist with (DH's feet were also cold in the hospital). Mind you the family LOVE them and I am getting requests to make them some too!!!! They will have to wait a little while though and get in the queue :-)

And yes DH is dealing with the 'C' word and we have just found out that 'C' therapy will be starting in 2 weeks. So my blogging will be more erratic than it already is.

One good thing is that doctor's surgeries are great places to create little projects

Bye for now

Not wasted time

Hi there

Well I did put the hospital time to good use. Made some crocheted beanies for charity.

Then worked some more hex's. I am finally starting to join them together. Photos will follow.

I am a self-taught knitter and crocheter. My Mum would not teach me as she learnt to knit left-handed and I am a right-hander. Don't know why or when I learned to crochet, but it was definitely when I was a kid. Can't remember making anything out of crochet, but I suppose I must have made granny squares as I am comfortable with them.

What's funny is that for 20 or more years I have not touched crochet, but now ...........

I am besotted with it. I am making beanies, I plan to make cardigans for my DD3 flower girls and the granny-styled blankets that are lining up is ridiculous.

I am now very rarely picking up the knitting needles, although I do have projects in my mind to complete - one being the shawl for wedding. I have decided on Ishbel - not only because of the one comment, but I was leaning that way, almost falling over it actually. :-)

But what is funny now is how I am seeing crocheted items everywhere - on tv, on other people, in magazines ....... blankets, vests, beanies ..... seems the world has gone crochet mad too

Have a wonderful weekend. Hope we survive as there is another doctor's appointment on Monday. But with temperatures suppose to be in 30 celsius and clear skys, it will be great

Bye for now

Hex part 3

Hi everyone or anyone :-)
Below is some colour inspiration I had when I decided to make a crocheted blanket. My D2 bought this back from Mexico as a gift for me about 6 years ago. I may have even bought the lounge to go with this blanket!!! While I can't match the colours in this blanket and still stick with my affordable Aussie yarn, I am happy with what I came up with.


Here is my third and last lot of colour choices for the blanket. From BWM Luxury 8 ply - Baby Blossom, Purple Storm and Leaf

And here are the colours in the initial work up.

Now the weird thing for me is that I love the above colour combination!!! Ok you say why not - well..... purple and pink are not colours I particularly like. But I do love how this combination work.

The other weird thing is Hex Part 2 colours. While red is one of my favourite colours, blue & lavender is not (except for the lovely flower and the scent mmmmm). But in this colour combination I loved the blue and the lavender and the red did not sit right with me.

But as I work more of the combinations it is all coming right and I now still love my red's.

Will give you glimpses along the way of the colour combinations.

I also started this blanket with an idea for a rainbow coloured, crocheted, not square blanket. Now I can't wait to see how it come together.

And, yes, the ripple blanket is still waiting for some attention. Not like me to start more than one project and not finish it before the next. But I have an URGENT!!!! need for colour in my life.

See you soon