Dishcloth/ Mug Rug Partners

Oh! I've been totally slack at getting this post up. School's back and I'm whacked already and quite over technology too!

Please contact your partner and exchange addresses etc.

Pam (pam@trimate.net )  and Melanie (bigals51@aol.com)

Kimberley and Linny

* Jo * - if you do decide to take part, just leave and comment - I'm quite happy to do have 2 partners.

Now I'm off to make scrambled eggs for dinner before I fall asleep! Sheesh it's cold tonight!

Wild weather again...

New Zealand is being thrashed by wild weather again tonight. We've had diagonal rain, hail as big as marbles, high winds today.

And down in the South Island states of emergencies have just been announced due to extraordinary levels of rain and flooding - one of them is this town Timaru.

I was here (my first ever visit) during the April school holidays. It was a very fleeting visit.

A less than 24 hours visit, but enough time for me to run around the town and take a few photos of the gorgeous architecture. 

Tonight I've seen photos of flooded streets.

The country has truly been racked by hideous weather these hols and people are once again stranded far away from home, flooded out and being evacuated!

There are still people without any power from last week's storms and here we go through it all over again!

Keep safe. Stay off the roads unless you really need to, and don't attempt to drive through any floodwaters at all.

life seems to be all about blankets!

It is most certainly warmer this week thankfully. There are still many people south who are without power from the snow storms last week - entering day six!

I was at university at 8am this morning! Early for me! My last course for my degree - Education Psychology and probably the paper I'll get the most use out of!

In the rest of my life, it seems to be all about blankets! In my pottering through cupboards over the past few days, I've found a bit of a fabric stash/ odd and ends left over from my clothing makes etc.
So yesterday afternoon, I spent a very pleasant afternoon with a lovely friend who taught me how to cut out fabric to sew a basic quilt. OH! A new hobby I think! The possibilities are endless....

This is quilt number one so far.... and will keep me busy over the next few days. Random fabric/ placement! Nobody can watch tv (well that's pretty usual in this house anyway!) or really walk through the lounge at the current time...

(and the sock wool blanket plods along nicely too!)

lazy hols

We have had freezing, freezing weather. Wet and wild wind too. And even more freezing down south!
I turned down a trip to Melbourne even! Decided just to carry on pottering on at home and doing stuff that has built up - I now have clean windows, a teen's bedroom that he thoroughly emptied and cleaned, the roses are pruned, and 13 long letters written etc!

I have stayed home virtually for 7 straight days, bar a trip to buy a new woolen coat (NZ made and 100% wool that will keep for decades!), to post letters and them oops, wonder past Kikki K and do a bit of a holiday splurge...

But firstly lets check out the sock wool blanket - l-o-t-s of time has been spent on this! I do love it so! The blanket grows larger, but I swear the wool pile to use looks just as big! I've also been adding to two scarves in a blanket stitch,

The Kikki K goodies - everything was on sale, plus the added bonus of buy 2 items, get the 3rd for free! I'm taking part in a stationery swap or two, so it was perfect timing! Great message on the mug! Time to clean out the mug cupboard once again!

Stickers, sticky notes, scrap booking inspiration kit and magnetic bookmarks...

 Writing paper set...

 Inside -

 and I do so, so adore this envelope necklace and it was one of the free items too!

Lovely purchases and yay for me - a B+ (79%) for my second university paper this semester - a tad bummed out that ONE more percent would have given me a A- grade - such is life! But I'm happy!

I think there will be quite few more days at home! I'm loving it, especially in cold, wet, miserable weather!

keep warm kiwis and seriously do not drive unless you really have to! Snowfall in both the South and North Islands have been impressive and wiped out so many roads with lots of stranded holiday makers up and down the country!

holiday days...and an * A *

Holiday days all seem to blend into one another. The teens do their own thing with mates, or sleeping long hours, or I have a houseful of teens, as apparently this is a 'cool' house to hang out in! I've a house load playing board and card games tomorrow.

Finally had 2 days of half decent weather - before the country is hit with snow and rain storms over the next few days.

I've knitted, and knitted, and knitted - my sock blanket and my gingerbread jersey. I've written 11 long letters and also posted some long sat here parcels. I've scrubbed bathrooms and windows. I've cleared surfaces which have not been cleared for months!

We had a massive tree cut down - this is the sunshine now in our bedroom all day long - this is the new backyard  - the new light is incredible!

 And the monkey apple - this was so large it went over 4 backyards - everyone is pleased with teh extra light!

I've gone and done this... (look at that top line grade!).  I am slightly stunned at myself :) 

I'm mad with one lecturer (the entire class is due to discrepancies in grades), as she is on holiday and today was the cut off for final grades to be posted and we have zero final grade...

 The post grad study thing did make me giggle....

Tomorrow will be another day of pottering... I love this life! 10 more weeks of school and I'll be pottering for months!

Annual Dishcloth/Mug Rug Swap - 2017

It has been a year since  I last held the dishcloth swap, so time for one again. I'm adding in a sewing option too, for those who can not knit or crochet.

Rules -

Knit or crochet a dishcloth OR sew a mug rug. Choose another couple of kitchen items (ie tea towel, cookie cutter/s, baking items, kitchen utensils etc) and something sweet to send to your partner too.

Open worldwide. Please state whether you are happy to post international or not.

Signups by July 23, 2017 by leaving a comment below. I'll blog the partners here on July 24 - it is up to you to contact your partner.

All parcels to be posted by August 31, 2017.

Please make sure I can contact you via your blog.

And please feel free to share via your blog too.

sock wool blanket obsessed

A week and a half ago I picked up my sock wool blanket again. Till then, I had knitted about 20 squares by themselves. When I sat down again to resume the blanket, I decided that I had to get my brain in gear and figure out how to knit the squares together! It took quite a while - hee hee - but I am now on a roll and can figure out how to do it no matter where I am on the blanket!
I've knitted even more than this now - the photos show the weekend effort - not much else got done in our very wintery and wet weather!
It is very addictive figuring out which colour to place where next. The school hols are at the end of this week, so I'll have plenty of time to add to it, with plenty of wool to keep me going!
The pattern on Ravelry is "Memory Blanket" by Georgie Nicolson. I am knitting with 2.75mm needles and cast on 30 stitches.