Annus horribilis.

Some of the most poisonous people come disguised as friends & family.

Families are families.  Even the Queen gets this.  Some years are just horrendous.  Last year was our annus horribilis.

It shouldn't have been.  The man was returning to school for the first time in 50 years for his bible credentials & I was looking forward to some quiet time with just me, the cats, the view. Prayer, bible reading, a little gardening.  Well, you know, the best laid plans of mice & men...

Firstly, the year before, the Man's father died quite suddenly.  As he wasn't a nice man & had told different sections of the family different things about his illness we had no idea he was as sick as he was. He is not missed ~ & that is a terribly sad condemnation.

The Man's mother hadn't been well to start with.  The stress of family squabbling & her own health issues put her over the edge & she became very ill. We took on the burden of caring for her.  I did the day shift while the Man was in school; he did nights...& we could have continued indefinitely.  She was right next door.  We used to be a household of 7 so washing & cooking for one extra person was no big deal. We had health services lined up.  Her Dr was happy with our care of her but ~  the family was not. It was very stressful.

I won't go into the details.  It got very ugly & there was nothing we could do to help & in the end they were able to force her into a nursing home. She barely lasted 6 months.  The grieving process has been difficult but we have been using our share of the inheritance to finish the home that ground to a halt when my man broke his back  & could no longer work. We think it honours his mother because she would so have enjoyed things like the chooks & the sandstone, being a Sydney woman herself.

Rain has halted work on this project temporarily but you can see how it will be. The girls were fascinated & my lads, who laid it, could not believe the running commentary from the chook pen!

'Tis the season...

We don't make mistakes, we do variations.

Winter is the season I generally crochet.  It's too hot in summer, though it's been a while since I bothered.  It began with a baby blanket for a Canadian friend's grand~daughter & then my youngest began bleating that her Ma would not make her an afghan ~ so I did.  Rather an odd little afghan because the girl suffers all sorts of allergies so it was done with whatever baby wool I could find in single crochet  *squares*, a little uneven & wonky but she loves it & that's all that matters.

I packed it of to find she had generated *homemade envy* & all her housemates & friends were clamouring for a homemade blanket too because no~one in their families does them.  I do find that a little odd but whatever.

Her house mate is expecting so next it was a baby blanket.  Not my colours but house mate was thrilled with it so all good.

I am not very good @ following instructions  but finally figured out how to manage a waffle stitch for my soon to be brand new grand~daughter.

 I actually like this stitch so much I decided to try it in a chunky wool for a male friend of the girls. Nice big hook too ~ felt a little strange @ first as generally I work with a 4.5 & an 8 ply wool but nothing ventured, nothing gained & it turned out really well.

I was super happy with this one.  Loved the colour, texture & feel.

Then daughter un numero uno decided she was being left out ~ though she is in Chile & getting anything to her is problematic.  Weight is an issue so after some stuffing round I found a lightweight yarn, a big hook [#9] & single crochet gave me a really soft, pliable, lightweight afghan that shouldn't exceed her weight limit.

 I have begun a 2nd waffle stitch blanket for a different friend of YD's & though I was rather reluctant to work with her choice of colour it is turning out not too badly.  Just waiting on some more yarn to finish it off.

I love variegated yarns & ran this up over the weekend for my mother's birthday.  She can crochet herself but sticks to granny squares so hopefully she'll enjoy this one. 

 Since I was last crocheting  this much we have become computer savvy & so much has changed for me.  I am a very visual learner.  Until I can *see* how a pattern goes I struggle with the instructions no matter how clear they may be, but You Tube is a God Send in this regard. One can pause, repeat, pause as often as one needs to in order to master a technique.  I have tried stitches that I once considered waaay beyond me.  Indeed, I got super brave & purchased a Tunisian hook to have a go because Tunisian crochet gives a much tighter stitch.

Sooo different.  I wasn't sure @ first.  The long hook is difficult for me ~ too much like knitting.  I can't knit @ all. I nearly gave up but again ~ You Tube.  I found some basic tutorials & feel confident enough to tackle a project.  Will purchase some yarn next mainland trip & go for it!