arriving at your own door

"Love after Love"

The time will come
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other's welcome,

and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you

all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,

the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.

Derek Walcott

Sunshine and Happiness

My son moved to Cape Town in March this year - 1399.6km as the Boeing flies.

Cape Town has really wet and windy winters so I thought I would make him an extra "warmie" for his bed or to keep him warm while watching telly or working on his computer.

In the evenings while he still lived at home he and I would make dinner together.   We would crank up the stereo up and listen to all sorts of good tunes (choonz - as we pronounce it here in SA).      One of our favourite "karaoke" songs was Rod Stewart's "Forever Young"

So this blanket is called "Sunshine and Happiness" (to surround you while you are far from home)!

I make heaps of odd granny squares during LOADSHEDDING and then join them together when we have power again.

For this blanket I made 48 squares - worked around 12 with "Bright Yellow";   12 with "Banana" and 24 with "Red".     I then joined them using the VISIBLE JOIN.

I then worked two rows of dc around each 4 x square block - "Dark Brown" around the yellow blocks and "Chocolate" around the red blocks.

The centre HAD to be special - a variation of my POPCORN OWL

The crochet "Sun" and granny hearts were appliqued on, and the eye feathers are "tassels".

I worked a few "patterned" rows around the Owl Square, and then joined the completed 4 x square blocks to the centre block.

I did not add a border; just a sweet little pompom edging - the same edging used for my POPCORN OWL CUSHION

Now all that remains is for me to box it up (with some other home treats) and have it couriered to my son!

Until We Meet Again!

A special tribute to my Beloved Mom (to share with those who knew and loved her and were not able to attend her Memorial Service)

Late on Friday, 03 July 2015 the Angels came to take mommy home.....

What we were left to say goodbye to was just the "vessel".   The body is not what defines us, it merely contains us and, yes, sometimes confines us.

It is our soul (or energy or whatever you want to call it) that is US - when that departs from the vessel we are finally and truly free to BE.

Mom believed that when you die you "go where you have always wanted to be"! 

I would always ask Mom what she wanted for her Birthday and she would always say "a house by the sea" (so Mom I hope you finally got your wish!!)

Even though there is a full stop at the end of Mom's story here on earth - her story has been written and will  live on in the hearts and memories of those left behind.     To be told and retold many times over!

The words printed on the photos are from the song "To Where You Are" (Josh Groban) - mom and I cried together the first time I played it for her!

Mom used to love going on outings and we always had a ball.     She loved attending Ladies' Days with me.      We would go shopping for our outfits during the week before and "dolly" ourselves up for the "event".    Mom "got" my sense of humor and I would often have her in stitches.

She loved to have a chat over a cup of tea and a rusk!  Her favorite was weak black tea with a few drops of lemon juice - not slices - just a few drops of the juice!

Mom loved flowers and colours and gardens.   When I visited her she always reminded me to bring her flowers from my garden.   She especially loved proteas and when they were in bloom I would pick her a big bunch.

We often chatted about going on a little adventure together on a bus tour to Namaqualand to see the wildflowers

Sadly mom was not able to travel for many years and we never got to have our little adventure.    

Last week when I was not even able to crochet, I started rolling yarn together and in the rolled together yarn I saw....... Namaqualand!!

Mom was one of the most unselfish people I have ever met.    She would always put others first, often to the detriment of her own health and well being (one of the few things we used to argue about).

Mom looked after my sister and niece for many years.    She would get up early every morning (when old people should still be snuggling in bed), make breakfast for everybody, drive my niece to school, then fetch her again and help her with her homework, do my sister's washing and make food for a full house!   This took a toll on mom's health - but never once did she complain!!

Mom was a friend to everybody - she would often feed and take care of the neighborhood children when they got home early and their parents were not yet home!

Mom you will forever be missed by everybody who knew you!!

..........  I know you're there
A breath away's not far
To where you are.

Finding my Feet

First off I would like to say THANK YOU!!!!  All so very very much for the wonderful messages and words of comfort with my Mom's passing.

For the past many months of CHANGE and HEARTACHE I have not been very productive pattern-wise.      I have crocheted up many new designs but have not been able to muster the concentration required to finish writing them up!

The past three weeks or so I was not even able to manage anything more than the most basic crochet (even a granny square was a bit of a challenge!!).

I tidied up my yarn stash (as I do every so often).     Rolling together all the odd yarns to make 16ply yarn - a very therapeutic exercise!

I had quite a lot of odds to roll (this basket is pretty deep!) but it kept my mind off things for a few days! 

The 16ply (Super Chunky) yarn makes for wonderful relaxing crochet - perfect for times of turmoil!  
I have made quite a few delightfully colourful and snuggly blankets this way!

THE HOLIDAY RIPPLE BLANKET

 and the RIC RAC WINTER BLANKET

Monday I visited my Dad and fetched my mom's yarn stash which was left for me.     Normally the thought of getting a random heap of yarn  would make me jump up and down with glee - but this made me so sad as it just really brought it home that mom was gone.

There was a LOT of yarn, and it was in a bit of a jumble.      

I spent Monday afternoon and the greater part of yesterday morning listening to silly music and sorting yarn!    

I managed to make up a few whole zip-lock packs of the same yarn. 

There were a lot of odds 3ply, 4ply, dk, chunky and hunky - so I just rolled the strands together to give me a basketful of 16ply "candy floss" coloured yarn for baby blankets

and a basketful of slightly darker shades for lapghans:

There is also a basket of black, greys, reds and white to make my brother a "Magic" comfort blanket, and a few tapestries which I plan to complete at some point.

The biggest "surprise" in the stash was a zip-lock bag of my great granny's crochet.   It contained these "motifs"which look like some of my VERY early (circa 1972) attempts when my granny would make up easy patterns for me to practice!

I am trying to get back into the swing of pattern writing so I thought I would start "putting the wheels back on" by writing up this motif pattern. ( Since my family have all passed on their crochet to me I don't think anybody would object to me "reverse engineering" them!).    

I tweaked the pattern a little to give it my own Zooty Owl twist and to make the motifs easy to "join as you go"!    

This will make a bright and cheery table runner or tray cloth.    Just need to add a few motifs and work out a nice border and then I can share the pattern!!

I made a delicious pot of LAZY BEAN SOUP for our supper (to be followed by a glass of Old Brown Sherry)!   - Now that is COMFORT.

Keep warm friends!    Be kind to yourselves!

Mommy

Late yesterday afternoon the angels came to take my beloved Mommy home. 

Rest in Peace Precious One!

Your suffering is done.

 Love and miss you forever!