Persian sweetie shop blanket #1

We have the last week of the holiday blues around here. Not because we are sorry it is the last week, but because the holidays have gone on sooooo looooong! What with a month off school for travelling, and a month over Christmas, by the time they go back on Tuesday the Smalls will have been off for eight of the last eleven weeks. We are all ready for the routine and stimulation that school brings. We are rubbing each other up the wrong way and all need a bit of space.

I have been retreating, when squabbling Smalls allow, into my new crochet books that arrived in the post-Christmas post. They are fab. Lots of lovely ideas and great instructions and photos.

I have also been enjoying a book from the library which I think I might just have to buy...

Back here and here I talked about a blanket plan that has been rumbling around in my head for a while. I was completely inspired by some blankets I saw via a giveaway here (scroll down to the bottom of the page for the 1 Oct entry).

I decided to crochet rather than knit, and saw in my little old head a brightly coloured Persian rug made in light but warm crocheted cotton. I am nothing if not ambitious! I bought the yummy yarn before leaving the UK and have been waiting more or less patiently for the new crochet books before getting down to a bit of planning...

I began by realising my dream in the medium of coloured pencil on printer paper (slightly crumpled).

Then the mathematician in me (yes it is long buried but not yet dead) had to break out the right angles. The blanket is going to be made up of squares of various sizes, joined as I go if I can figure out how, linked by stripes.

Then with the help of the new books, (but not following any of the patterns completely - you know I always have to go my own way) I hooked up some prototypes and worked out some stitch combinations to make patterns for the 2 inch and 4 inch squares.

I am quite pleased with them so far...

The middle of the blanket is going to be a 20 inch square made in a similar way. I have to stop it going all rainbow on me but want a sort of star-burst effect. I tried to plan it on paper but the result was so woeful that I discarded it in favour of jumping in with both feet and a 4.5mm hook.

Here we are... a 5inch circle that may (or may not) end up in the centre of a 72 inch square blanket.

Btw the mathematician popped up again and asked me to tell you that I have therefore completed 0.387% of the total area. Hmm. As I said, ambitious...

xx

Christmas part 2 (b)

Thank you to Mum, Sue and Andy, Helen, Katy and Thomas, Paul, Jane and Maisie, Anna and Tony, Leonie and Richard, David, Caroline, Toby and James, Julie, Alistair and Sebastian, Sam, and Andy and Alison for sending us good wishes, fun letters and fabbie presents.

xx

Christmas part 2 (a)

The decorations are safely away, the excess chocolate has been consumed, the new toys are forgotten and the old favourites are returned to and J is back at work BUT Christmas part 2 has finally arrived!

Many lovely people sent e messages of various types to say they had posted things to us for Christmas, but only two arrived in the post in December. The Royal Mail Ship (the clue's in the title) has been back since then, but came via Capetown, so again, no mail for us. On Saturday though, it arrived from Ascension Island.

Mail is not delivered here - you have to go into the post office and suffer the great indignity of asking if there is anything for you. You try not to look too hopeful as the lady disappears into the back room, then returns to check the various lists. Then you recompose your face and try no to look too disappointed if there is nothing for you.

So this morning, after a pretty terrible hour trying to do a bit of shopping with three grumpy Smalls in tow, it was with great trepidation that I joined the back of the queue. The Smalls were taking it in turn to try and kill each other loudly on the steps outside and the queue was glacial. Finally I reached the front, repeated our surname twice and crossed my fingers that she was going to look in the right pile. After an age she reappeared, consulted the letters list and the parcels list, disappeared again and then... Look!

A pile! An actual pile. All for us. I make that five parcels and eight letters.

As you can tell I am extremely excited. Two things that I am pretty sure we are expecting don't appear to be here but never the less...

By the way, in my humble opinion, we have the coolest address:

Christmas part 2 (b) happens later. We can't open them until J gets home from work. That would just be mean.

xx

Away with the fairies

I found this place and thought you'd like to come and look with me. You see, there is this sign post pointing down a track that is just begging to be explored.

Looks exciting doesn't it? Lets take a look...

It winds through rolling pasture.

Past the most curious of cows.

Gradually heading for a little wood.

And in the wood...

Castle?

Loft living.

Cloistered.

Tunnel.

Room with a view.

Terraced.

Detached.

High rise.

Basement.

Mansion.

Architect designed?

Tiny Boy's house.

Tall Girl's house.

And beyond the wood

is Fairyland flax mill.

Flax was the mainstay of the St Helena economy until the pesky post office started to use elastic bands instead of string in the 1960s. Almost overnight the six flax mills closed down, leaving 600 people out of work.

The mill buildings are rather beautiful in a sad sort of way.

The flax is everywhere. It is a very invasive weed and covers vast stretches of the island. It is almost impossible to get rid of and has no value any more.

I think the hills look like Cousin It.

The flax is huge and tough and useless. Except for a spot of weaving which I am hoping to learn soon.

So, did we see any fairies in Fairyland?

No, but we did see lots of fairy terns.

 

Which is almost as good.

 

xx

Introducing Jonathan

We began the New Year with a very humbling visit. We went to see an extremely aged gentleman and his companions.

They live somewhere very grand. Looks nice doesn't it?

This is Plantation House, otherwise known as the Governor's residence. The Governor is definitely not the most important person who lives there though, and he's not called Jonathan.

This is Jonathan.

He is at least 180 years old. It is thought that he was brought to St Helena as a gift from the Seychelles when he was already mature (over 50) in 1882. That makes him one of the oldest known animals in the world.

He really is quite large!

He has five companions: David, Mary, Myrtle, Fredericka and Speedy. It is impossible for a novice to tell them apart and we could only find four.

But they were extremely cool!

xx