Unexpected visitor

I got an email from my sister last week and forgot I wanted to post the pictures here. She works in Scarborough in South Africa (we grew up in SA) and she had this visitor at work for a while. I was born and bred in SA and don't remember seeing many snakes, I always thought they slithered away when they heard someone coming. So here is the email she sent

"Well, we are used to baboons, mongoose, birdlife, tortoises and such BUT today we had a puff adder right below our deck!!

A couple of pics attached!!"

And here are the pics. She told me today the snakehandler came to take him away and will send me more pictures. I will put them up as well. The lucky girl is also going on safari to Botswana next week as part of her job. She works for a safari company
and there is even bit about Tanya if you scroll down the page. She will hopefully send me some pics of that trip, too.

Spring is here, maybe?

All afternoon I have heard gardening equipment and children outside. I am sure that is a sign of spring and I can only hope. We walked into town this morning to get some things for DD's school trip next week (where am I supposed to find wool socks for children? Could only find mens socks that fitted the description, nothing for women or children!) and it was quite warm. By the time we got back I was hot and hurt. I have blisters on my ankles (well, they started on Thursday) and I am tired, but we got our things and I could relax for the rest of the day. I did my Christmas Cal commitments, so here are updated pictures of the bus cuddle and DD's filet blanket for her birthday. I have a hard time putting it down once I get into the rhythm, I am enjoying making it and I love working with the yarn I was given. I have started making a top for DD, she is deciding on what she wants and I am making it. I am about half way with the swinging part of the top and then it is just the shoulder straps to make. It can be worn on it's own or over a t-shirt or long sleeve top if it is a cooler day. The other baby things are just some more to add to my stock collection. I had to hand in my business plan on Thursday and R was very impressed with it. I am now just waiting to find out about having a stall at the Spring fair as my first "gig". :) Also are the two hats I had to finish off for the school trip next week. I still have to make two pairs of mittens, but I am going to make these, which are quick and easy to make.
And in case you are wondering, I took the picture of the biscuit tin OPEN to show that I am not sitting eating biscuits while I am working (I saw the tin in a corner of one of the photos), it is actually the tin I use to keep my buttons in.

Progress for the week

I have been busy with lots of little things. I have to make stock and do a business plan for the self-employment scheme, as well as researching all different places to sell, insurance, etc. I did do some crocheting in between and here are some pictures to show the progress I have been making. I finally finished the sleeping bag for the lady in London, it got posted this morning. I have made 5 baby summer dresses, the bodices are crocheted and the skirts are fabric and there is a motif on the bodice from the same material as the skirt. These are really quick and easy to make. I also made a 3-in-1 dress in white and green. It is a Shifio pattern (I bought a lot of her patterns and have decided to start making the things now :)). I am taking part in the Row a day 'til Christmas Cal on Crochetville and my first project is another Wheels on the Bus cuddle from here. There is also the Shawler for DD that I have been working on in Marble DK, I like the way it stripes and I will be working on it again soon. Today I started a shell bag from here. The patterns on that site are really easy and fun to do. I started a ghan for DD's birthday, I am doing triquetra's in filet. I was going to do it in graphs, but I was getting all knotted up, so decided that for my first graph project I need to find something with not quite so many changes and when I am happy with that, I will attempt a triquetra graph again. Also, I need to hurry as it is less than two months to get finished. I did 9 rows last night on the first square and then found out that I had made a mistake in the beginning, so to the pond I go. And then there is the dishcloth I made from some recycled cotton using one of the patterns I got from my Secret Pal. It was fun and easy to make and it feels so soft. Now, just to get brave enough to start dying all the cream coloured cotton I have. I also made another bangle bag and have started another baby dress in white and purple.

Secret Pal revealed

ooooooohhhhhh, ooohhhhhh, aaaaahhhhhhhh. Those are the sounds of me unpacking my reveal package from my secret pal, ldyer1. I got the package this morning after waiting ALL WEEKEND for it as I had missed the delivery man on Friday and he left a card saying he would be back today. Well, I hope the photos appear in the order I took them, I took them as I unpacked the box.
There was a very nice letter, 2 HUGE skeins of Sugar 'n Cream cotton yarn (variegated and yellow), 2 pattern books for dishcloths (I have loads of recycled cotton which I am going to use to practice to make these), dolphin sitckers, 2 trivets in the same colours as the cotton and which will fit perfectly in my kitchen when I am in a place of my own (I want to make my kitchen yellow, bright and sunny and cheery), Reece's peanut butter cups which I love (having a hard time controlling myself from eating them all and not sharing with DD :) ), yarn cutter pendant, folding scissors, row counters, snapitz bracelets, charm bases and charms for DD, some lemonade with what looks like sour worms and two skeins of green RHSS. I am so LUCKY, :). Thank you, Calico Anne for a great swap and I made 2 new friends doing this swap.

Quick

Been a busy week (kind of). I did make an outfit for the doll, I wrote down the pattern and am making another one and waiting for DD to find another in her room (sty?) so I can try it on and make sure I wrote it down correctly. My SIL had her baby, at last, on 9th April, I am now aunty to a new niece, 8lb 6oz at birth! She is pretty and I can't wait to see her in real life and both Nana's granddaughters have birthdays on the 9th (just in different months). DD is pleased that she is 10 years and 10 months older than her new cousin. I had made a few different outfits for the baby, not knowing whether it was a girl or boy, so when I found out I just finished off this outfit for her and posted it today with the Drum ghan (see previous post). The hat was from Shifio , the cardigan was my own design (I think it still needs a bit of tweeking) and the bottees were from Bev's pattern. Then there are the new thing, the bangle bag, It is a pattern available from here, it is designed by bettycrackpot and she let me test it. Thank you. It was easy and I will be making more.
I had an interview this morning about becoming selfemployed, looks promising. Yayyy.

Little things

On Wednesday I found out my step nephew was sick and decided to make him something, so I made him a teddy from the Teddies for Tragedies pattern. It was quick and easy to make. DD said his sister also needed to have something, so she gave a little doll (just under 4 inches tall) and asked if I could make something for it. I made a crochet cradle purse for it, also quick and easy. The pillow and blanket are my own, even though the pillow did come out a bit big. Now, DD says the doll needs an outfit, so I am off to make that now. :)

Cheap and cheerful

I haven't done too much that can be put on my blog yet. I posted my Swap Partners reveal package to her yesterday, so she should have it next week. What I can show is the Drum Afghan I made, which DD has decided should be for the new baby that was due last Saturday. As we still don't know what it is, a multicoloured blanket should be perfect for it. DD wanted it, but I said no. Well, I am going to be making her a graphghan for her birthday in Bratz colours with a triquetra and my mom is making her a quiltghan with a cat on it.
I found the book "220 Aran Stitches" for £0.85 in a charity shop, another addition to my collection of crochet and knitting books. You can never have too many books or too much yarn, right?
Then the two outfits are what DD designed and made herself for her dolls. She is knitting scarves/shawls to match them and she wants to make shoes as well. She is very pleased with herself for all that, as she should be. Hopefully there will be more to add next time.