Hi guys.
What a fortnight this has been! (Actually, what a month, what a year!!) The Lookatwhatimade household spent every waking moment before Christmas preparing for the arrival of Ouma, Oupa, Aunty Chichi, and little Luca.
I had really hoped to send you this email before Christmas, but things went comically wrong, starting with an essential order of bedding and towels going missing and ending with my computer dying on boxing day! In between, we have had a whole host of misadventures.
But that doesn't matter. We have a house full of people and we are basking in their presence. I hope you had a wonderful festive season, and that you got to spend it with your loved ones too.
In crochet-related news, the free pattern for the Memory Lane Blanket is now available on my website HERE.
It's actually quite fitting to share it with you now as a lot of the musings that went into figuring out exactly why I loved the colours relate to South Africa and my family, so having my in-laws here when I share it with you feels like a circle closing (in a good way). If you missed the post in which I talked about the thought process behind the colours, you can read it HERE - lots of lovely photos!!
I have also published the pattern for the Ammonite Crochet Hook Roll I designed for my last retreat with Devon Sun Yarns. I have never been tempted to make a crochet hook roll, let alone design one, but when I started designing this one, I fell instantly and completely in love with the simple elegance of it. And when I put my Clover Amour hooks into the roll... well... sometimes it's the small things that make you the happiest, isn't it? Seeing those colours against the dark grey background of the roll makes me all kinds of nonsensical happy. I smile every time I open my hook roll :)
Esther Dijkstra from It's All in a Nutshell has done a wonderful step-by-step video tutorial for it too (links in the pattern), so if you struggle to get your head around the shaping of the 'pockets'... Esther to the rescue!
And now I want to mention something quite personal... This is the first ever photo tutorial in which I have not actively tried to hide my nails. I have been a terrible (!!!) nail-biter for 33 years. A year and a half ago, it was so bad that three of my fingers didn't actually have ANY nail on them (which makes taking photos for photo tutorials extremely tricky).
When I did the crochet tour with Be Inspired last year, I met a 7-year old girl who also bites her nails. I don't know quite why, but talking to her about it, and about how hard it is to try and stop, made me determined to stop and share my progress with her. I don't know how I managed to do it, but I did it. I now have 10 strong, long, beautiful nails.
I cannot tell you how delighted I am. Crocheting in public is now a joy instead of a source of shame :)
I have one more exciting piece of news from my end. Scheepjes has launched a new yarn called Our Tribe. Each of the Scheepjes bloggers (including yours truly) got to choose a colourway for this yarn. In a million years, I never would have dreamed that I would get my very own yarn colourway!! And the best part is that I LOVE the way it works up!
I have started a new project with my colourway (which reminds me of Hydrangeas and Heather). You can read more HERE.
Carmen from New Leaf Designs has done a vlog showcasing all the colours. I love the way she opens up each skein so that you can see the colourways properly. She's an absolute cutie-pie and a joy to watch, so her vlog is well worth bookmarking!
The Our Tribe Blog Hop finishes with a grand reveal, which you can read all about HERE.
Have a wonderful week and a spectacular 2018!
Dedri
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What Others Have Been Up To
My friend Tammy Canavan-Soldaat has designed two gorgeous shawls, one knit and one crochet. When Read Between the Lines (knit) first came out, it became apparent immediately that this was no ordinary design. It was so popular that Tammy decided to do a crochet version of the shawl - Crochet Between the Lines (Bottom Right). This pattern has just as quickly become insanely popular too!
I am crazy about the knitted version. So much so that I am going to attempt knitting it. A colleague at work assured me that, despite my talent with crochet, I just 'wasn't that kind of knitter' - referring to the bajillion stitches at the end of the pattern. She's right, I know. I haven't even finished the foot of my first sock yet. Nevertheless, I am SO desperate to own one of these. It might take me 3 years, but I am going to make one!!
The patterns are available to buy for €1.00 and each use 2 skeins of Whirl each.
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Feeling a Bit Nostalgic...
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