Photo's of my orchids!

Green cymbidium

A few photo's of my orchid collection. We have about a thousand ( could be more but don't tell John ). There are many different genera hidden away in nooks and crannies, anywhere we can find a spot that will let us squeeze in just one more. I know, I know, it's a sickness there is no cure for. But we do get to enjoy  lovely blooms all year  round so it's worth all the work, especially at this time of the year as our show is on next month and we will be flat out working to make it  the success it has been in the past.

Phaleonopsis

Cymbidium

Zygocactus from our hanging garden

Textured Granny!

No.. I am not referring to myself Lol...  Let me explain!  I got tired of having the rugs i have made in the granny pattern twisting further and further around with each row. I decided to try something a little different and of course, i don't think it's a new idea, only new to me. Anyway i will let you be the judge of the result and i will see if anyone can  work out what i have done. I would love to hear your comments...  :))

A tale of two cupboards!!

In order to tell this tale I need to travel back in time for a few days..... We are doing some renovations to our bathroom, replacing the old vanity unit and sink with a new one. I needed somewhere to put all that stuff that seems to gather under the sink sooo.....  i said...' lets buy one of those narrow pantry cupboards and well put it between the end of the bath and the wall', 'then i can transfer all the stuff into that while we do the changeover', easy right?? John measured the spot and knowing that  our local variety store sold them for a certain amount and thinking of the pennies, I had the bright idea that we could get one much cheaper if we looked around, off we went to the hardware store near where we live but that cupboard was much more expensive so we went to the one on the other side of town and that was much cheaper for the same thing, we bought one and went home. The next day John put the cupboard together and boy was it heavy and awkward but we got it inside to the bathroom to find that it was too wide to go into the spot. After  few thoughtful pauses and exclamations it got moved into my craft room for the time being so to speak . ( Didn't take me long to fill it with craft supplies ). Saturday came and off we went to our craft day, John went ot the variety store to measure up their cupboards and when i came home we went and bought one of theirs, problem solved??  NO!  I was just enjoying a nice cuppa when John came inside and said.. " there are no hinges or screws in the box'. A phone call later and we were back on the way to the shop to pick up the hinges etc.  On the way i said ' i take it  the shelves were in the box'? Deafening silence!! 'I'm not sure' he said, 'They must be' i said, 'was the box open'?? 'No'. 'well then, they must be in there'..   silence again.   Arriving at the shop the hinges were there waiting for us as promised so we headed home once again all the time wondering if we had shelves.. What do you think?? We got home and there were no shelves...  another phone call and back we went to the store with me wishing i'd kept my big mouth shut. When we arrived it was to find that we should have been given 2 boxes instead of one, the hinges and shelves were in a separate box. John put it all together and it fitted with room to spare. So now we have 2 cupboards instead of one and it cost us twice as much and petrol to boot but there is a bright side to all this... I now have a cupboard for my craft supplies and my room will be much tidier... Yeh  right!! Lol.... Just have to see the funny side or scream....

A Crafty Day with Friends!

Yesterday was a very interesting day in many ways... I will start with the day of  friendship i was fortunate to share with my two friends, Pat and Trix. A few days ago we were invited to attend a craft day with the 'Threads' craft group at Longford. There must have been at least 140 women of all ages who attended and shared their favourite crafts with everyone . There were beautifully made quilts and  lovely bead jewelry, fine embroidery, card making and knitting and of course, crochet. Trix worked on her quilting, a beautiful rendition of a plate she and her husband bought in Morroco a few years ago. Pat and I worked on our crochet rugs  ( when we weren't checking out the lovely craft the other ladies were working on ) which were very much admired by many of the ladies present. We were provided with lovely cakes and savouries for morning and afternoon teas and soup for lunch so we were well taken care of.. All in all a great day was had by all.

Yarn Giveaway!

I have started a yarn giveaway competition on my community page on blogfrog. Anyone interested can leave a comment and i will choose a winner when i have enough response so come visit me and be in the running.... :))

Slow Progress!

The going is rather slow on this wool eater rug. It's not difficut to do when you learn the method but it does need all your concentration to crochet it correctly. It is so easy to lose focus and make a mistake,i have made a couple but i was able to fudge them and it's not noticable thank goodness, not a pattern that encourages unpulling, at least not for me.. Lol... And definately not to be done when watching the telly..   :))

It's growing!

Here is another pic of my granny rug. It is growing and has 2 more colours since the last pic i posted. I'm not sure about the colours at the moment so any input will be greatly appreciated.

Bead knitting!

I have been a bit lax as far as showing any of my beadknitting so here is a photo of a doll i made for one of my friends. I designed the pattern myself but didn't bother to write it down so it's a one off as far as i am concerned. She was very pleased with the doll and though it was supposed to be for her gd, she said she couldn't part with it and gd would have to wait for it as part of her inheritance. :))

Come on Summer!!

I have been looking through some of my photo's and found this one taken last summer. It is a picture taken in our garden where we spend most days during the summer and after looking at it i can't help saying "come on summer'. Check out the size of the hippy's in the big pot on the far right, just beautiful....

Pleased with my day!

What a lovely day i've had today.... Chatted with my friend on the phone, about crochet of course plus a few other things but mainly crochet. Also spoke to my daughter in law, my grandson's footy team won their game yesterday and are well on the way to the finals. They are at the top of the ladder for the under 18's and i hope they continue their running streak right up to the final in a couple of weeks. Went out in the car for short drive to the supermarket, not something i like normally but i enjoyed it today. Must be all that lovely sunshine we have had. I have also done quite a bit more on my crochet rugs, the ufo as well as the new rug i started last week, both are growing nicely which is good because it keeps my interest going and i really need to push myself a lot of the time. Hope tomorrow is as good as today!!  Oh well, must get back to my crochet before i have to get dinner ready.. :))

Another UFO!

This is the rug i am working on at present, i saw one my friend made in the same pattern and i really liked the look of it. Amazing really what you can do if you are interested in something, it's only taken me a few days to get this far and i have already used 250 grams of yarn. Still a lot more to do of course. It is basically a granny but with a front post stitch in the corners which makes the pattern.

UFO's!

The first one is one i started some time ago and my friend has been on at me to finish it for awhile now so i must get on with it again. I can't find the exact colours i started with so i may have to add more colours and make a rainbow rug of sorts.

Sugar & Cream!

My sugar & cream cotton arrived the other day and i am very pleased with it and am itching to make something with it. I bought it from Spin Blessings, a company in the US. I am impressed with the quality of the service and the swiftness of delivery, just one week. The colours are brilliant and there are so many it is difficult to make a choice. The cone weighs 1lb and i am going to make christmas potholders and other things with it, not sure what else at present, i might have to call for ideas from friends.. Lol.. 

Zygo!

This is a very different orchid and was not easy to make  but it turned out ok, design on the spot as you might say..Spent  the day with my friend yesterday, crochet, chatting and good music in the background... Always enjoyable...

The Straight Scoop on Using Protein Supplements to Optimize Nutrition

 I found this article while browsing and thought it very interesting and easy to uderstand.


The Straight Scoop on Using Protein Supplements to Optimize Nutrition

A few more crochet orchids!

Made 2 more orchids yesterday and went to spotlight and bought the brooch pins. I love making these little flowers.

Orchid Brooches!

Two cattleya's and a cymbidium.. maybe some poetic license and imagination needed here Lol...  :))

My afghan's!

Took a couple of pics of some of my afghans, i have given away most of the others as gifts without getting a pic of them so i am left with just a few... I will have to get to work and quickly. I have plenty of exchange squares i can put together as soon as i can find the time. Hmmm... the days are just not long enough..Lol..  :))

Dorothy's gift!

This is the gift i received from Dorothy! Of Australiacrochet the group i am a member of.

3 Cattleya's!

I have now made 3 Cattleya's, they are all done in different size crochet cotton. The 2 smallest could possibly be used for brooches if i can find the right type of pin. Any suggestions??

Another crochet orchid!

This is another crochet Cattleya i finished tonight. Only took me about 1,1/2 hours to make, much better time than yesterdays effort.

My lovely flowers!

More Pics!

Another view!

Todays project!

What fun!! An orchid made of crochet cotton... be so nice if patterns were written so I in particular could understand them... Oh well.... It did work out eventually but took all afternoon to finish it. My friend wants to make them by the dozen,,  hahaha.. I don't think so..  LOl...

A great day for craft!

Oh goodie, another wednesday has come around and that means sharing the day with my best friend Pat and crocheting, talking and anything else that takes our fancy including keeping up with our blogs. It is raining flat out and has been all night so it's not too good on the roads today but i must have my day of crochet.. LOl.. Any excuse to stay inside and crochet is never missed.

Grabbed a bargain!

I grabbed a good bargain today, went to our local print shop and while looking for a decent weight card to put in my printer i found some packs of soap of all things, just right for my soaps on a rope that i am making for the men in my family. Huon Pine fragrance of all things, smells gorgeous and very manly for the menfolk so i hope they will like them.

Soap sack & washer

This a another soap sack with a matching washer.

crochet.com.au

 This is another nice site......Crochet.com.au

7" square exchange!

These pretty squares were sent to me by my partner in a square exchange i am a member of.

Great Day!

Had a great day today, crafting with friends and chatting and exchanging ideas and patterns.

More soap bags

Soap on a Rope

Some of my favourite orchids!

Orchids!

Free crochet!

This is a site i subscribe to. allfreecrochet.com   http://www.allfreecrochet.com    they have some really nice crochet patterns there.

Home Alone!

It's great! I have a day to myself today, for most of the day anyway.. doesn't happen often so i am making the most of it. Bead knitting this morning for a time and crochet for the rest of the day. I am working on baby doll dresses in bead  knitting and more washers and bags for christmas gifts. My granddaughters love them so they will get one each with some nice soap and whatever else i come up with, i may give each of them a purse as well with some goodies in it.

Welcome Tanya!

Hi Tanya, welcome to my blog.... thanks for becoming a follower...:))

New washer & bag

This is the latest washer  and  bag in a lovely baby blue colour, this is a different pattern of half treble, shells and trebles.

John's Birthday!

Had a great day yesterday, had the family here for John's birthday party. It was lovely to have the grandkids all here together and my boys of course. I was too tired to post yesterday, only had the computer on for a couple of minutes, just long enough to answer an email and by the time everyone left i was ready to put my feet up and collapse in a chair.