Crochet

So I started the crochet thing on Saturday and on Sunday evening I was done. Well, almost. I really enjoyed crocheting again! It's been a while since I've done that. And now I think I'm going to have to find some time to do some more :)

My plan was to do four small squares and join them into one big doily to put under the pot of our new palm tree. I was thrilled to have it nearly finished and went to show it to DH. He said it was far too pretty to be put on the floor under a pot were we won't see it at all (only the very ends of the corners would be showing).



After a while I kinda agreed with him and instead of joining the squares together I decided to use them as individual smaller doilies. I put them under the flower pots on our desk. The miniature rose and the two African violets we've had there forever.



They are a perfect size for this job. And I've been meaning to crochet doilies for this purpose for a long time now anyway. Now I've just got to come up with a new plan for the palm. I'm thinking something involving embroidery... I hope I find the time this week to make it into a reality :)

What I've been doing lately

I've baked. I made granola (again) and this lingonberry pie.



I've read. Currently I'm reading this great book by Daniel Pool. I really enjoy books from the Victorian era (and earlier), and this will help me to understand them even better. It tells about the habits and customs people had then as well as the etiquette and things to do with everyday life like money and measurements. On the background on the floor you can see my cabled cardigan. It's progressing quite nicely.



I've also taken my little pumpkins out. I bought them last year and managed to dry them so they are still good for displaying.



Today, DH and I went shopping for plants and came home with a mini rose (is that what these small potted roses are called?) for the study.



And a cyclamen for the living room. These are my favourite plants to buy in the fall. The colors of the flowers are so bright and beautiful! According to my house plant book, you should be able to grow them year round indoors, but I've never managed that. I think the most I've gotten out of them is about three months before they have died. And that was in a different house. We'll see how long this one lasts.



On the right you can see the third thing we brought home. A rather large palm (my dictionary gives two English names for it: areca palm and golden yellow palm). I love, love, love it! I've wanted one for a long time now. The pot is on the floor and naturally it needs a cloth underneath it. Since I have some crochet yarn and a hook, I figured I might as well make it myself, rather than spend time and money looking for one from the stores (or eBay) :) I've already started it.

Crochet rug

I finished this yesterday for our balcony. I really like the texture of it (the first pic is trying to show it), and the coloring. It was quite easy to do, although quite tiring for the hands. I used a 10mm hook. Even so, I think I'll buy a sheet or something from a thrift store and do another one later on.
Here's another pic, with my foot to show the size.

I need your help

Recently my mom gave me these beautiful lace trims (except for the largest one, which was a thrift store find). Most of them were handmade by my father's mother, the rest are vintage machine made ones. They are of different lengths and widths. I brought them home, gave them a bleach bath, hung them to dry and ironed out all the wrinkles.

The thrift store runner is in use at the moment, but as for the rest of them... I have a couple of ideas, but I'd like to hear how you would use them or what kind of ideas do you have for me, if lace isn't your thing. If possible, I'd like to not cut the handmade ones.

Spring

The snow melted over a month ago. It's been warm, then cooler again, and now it's really warm (for spring that is), close to 20C. It hasn't rained a drop in all that time, so nature is still pretty much sleeping, but the sun has lured out some signs of life and spring.

These flowers are blooming in great quantities all over the forest. The ground is still pretty much covered in leaves from last fall and these are like little jewels scattered on the brown and grey ground.





And some trees are unfurling their leaves! I hope it will rain soon. I think the landscape will turn green in no time after that.



And here's a WIP pic of the ripple blanket. It's 44 inches (111 cm) wide and at the moment 10 inches (25 cm) long.

Rag rug

Yesterday, at my knit club meeting, we learned about how to use crochet to make items you can use (like baskets, rugs, bags) from rags (selfmade or bought). I used one of our old curtains and started to make a rag rug out of it. The cutting takes up a LOT of time, so I didn't get it all done before the class, but I had enough to start with. And now I'm in the process of cutting up the rest of the curtain and purchasing a hook that's big enough.


I know I've got about a gazillion projects going on at the moment and that I don't seem to be making any progress in any of them. But I do enjoy them all :) This weekend I'm going over to my great-aunt's house. She's going to teach me and the rest of my female relatives an Easter craft. I don't know exactly what, but it involves empty egg shells. I've been baking a lot this week in order to have lots of egg shells to take with me :)

New projects

I've been working on some new projects lately (besides stitching my WIPs).


First, there's this. My ripple blanket. Inspired by the two lovely blankets made by Jane of Yarnstorm and by Alicia's humongous bedspread. It's wonderful and so simple. I'm using the odd balls from my stash and some I've bought specifically for this project. Most of what I had was different shades of blue and green and I wanted to add a bit of pink and yellow too.


The second project is this. A sweater from one of the Rowan magazines. I'm using Kid Classic in Sandstone and I love both the feel and look of the yarn as well as the color (although it may be more appropriate for autumn than spring). This'll be my last "warm" knit for now. After this I'm doing some spring and summer projects. Or that's the plan, anyway.