Christmas Down Under Festive Ornaments

Summer has really hit us here which means Christmas is just around the corner. Growing up in Queensland I could never as a child understand certain images of Christmas. I loathe and detest spray on snow, and I am not a big fan of snowmen. They probably look fabulous in the Swiss Alps, or snowy Canada, but to have an artificial snowman on your front lawn in the sweltering sun in Australia is kinda silly. I reckon snowmen and gum trees don't mix well!

As for spray on snow I had an Auntie who sprayed snow on her windows with those stencil things. I can remember the snow flakes still being there when we visited at Easter. One of those activities that is easier to do than to undo.

I always feel sorry for the Santa's here as well. I remember one bloke one year who was so hot in his Santa Suit he was a wash with perspiration. Being on the large side I was a bit worried he might have a stroke.

How the heck does Santa get around Australia in a sled? And when he visits our place he has to land his reindeer on the back veranda as we don't have a chimney. The reindeer's like it and we always leave a bowl of water and some grass out for them, as well as a cold drink for Santa.

The neighbours leave him beer and nuts but I reckon he shouldn't drink and drive. I would hate for Santa to get pulled over in Surfers Paradise for a rbt (random breath test) by the booze bus.

It wasn't until I was in my teens that I quite understood what Jingle Bells was about and what "dashing through the snow" meant! Holly is also foreign to me. I had to go to England to see what it really looked like. I must say I was a bit disappointed in it! The colours and the glitter on the plastic stuff had exaggerated its appeal. While I think crochet snowflakes are lovely, they are a bit out of place when it is 38 degrees Celsius ( 100F) in the shade!

So this year I decided I would design some Australian themed Christmas ornaments. No snow, no mittens or sleds and not a snowman in sight!

So Aussie icons are the koala, with a Christmas bow:

The kangaroo and wallaby with jingle bells and ribbons:

Some gum nut pixies:

I tried to make these look like they had little gum nut hats on. A bit like the gum nut babies of May Gibbs.

One of the most spectacular group of critters down here is our bird life. Yet the Chrissy decorations seem limited to robins and doves.

I decided it was time for some fairy wrens to go on my tree. These are pretty amazing little birds with a sticky up tail. The male is the most stunning blue, while the female is a bit drab.

The other group of birds that are always in the trees are are the parrots. Sulphur crested cockatoos and Rosella's. Both are incredibly noisy but beautiful to watch.

I really enjoyed making all of these and the patterns have been tested and are now on my etsy store. http://www.crochetroo.etsy.com

I have a few more to do as I want to attach them to some of my Christmas goodies this year.

I do love Christmas and I reckon you can never have too many ornaments or too many lights.

I hope you like my Australian take on the Christmas tradition.

(c) copyright crochetroo 2007. Copying is bad karma, your name will automatically go on the naughty list.

Christmas is a coming.....

It is Remembrance day here - November the 11th, Lest We Forget. I had my minutes silence and remembered my grandfather and father in law who both served in the second World War. Both were men of substance, ANZACs who have now left us. I will never forget them.





The next big event down under is Christmas. When I was at the post office last week they had a sign up "52 days till Christmas". EEK I thought, that leaves me with about 50 days t make stuff!

Every year I try and make as many gifts as I can. I like things that I can include with the cooked goodies I bake. My favourite recipes are ginger bread men, rum balls, and chocolate brownies. Last year I did a heap of pot holders and kitchen towels so this year I thought I would try something new.

So here are my table toppers. A selection of Christmas themed coasters and napkin rings. They work up quick and are nice and festive.

I was thinking today that I might work some of the coasters in thread ans a smaller hook to make some appliques for the hand towels and serviettes.

When it comes to setting the Christmas Table I am a bit obsessional. I always like lots of decoration and bling! I reckon there is no such thing as too many Christmas Lights or too many ornaments.

So this is what the neighbours and friends are getting with their baked goodies this year: a set of Christmas Coasters. Because it is our summer we drink quite a lot at Christmas. There is always a bowl of punch, some chilled wine, beer and soft drinks. As a kid Christmas was the only time of the year we had soft drink. I remember the glass bottle of orange and lime and rasberry on my Nana's Christmas table. It is funny the things we remember that made us feel good as a kid.

I have written up the patterns for the Table Toppers including the coasters and napkin rings. These have been tested by some very kind people, and the patterns are available at my etsy store for anyone interested.

I am predicting a very home made Christmas this year with all the toy recalls. That is great for the crafters and should keep everyone busy!

(c) crochetroo - please do not take my ideas or images. Direct links are welcome, and I love reading the comments!

Daisy Chain Beanie - scrapbuster project (free crochet pattern)

I am a great hoarder of scraps, and seem to have a mountain of little bits and pieces of yarn from a multitude of projects. In a feeble attempt to reduce the yarn stock in my cupboards I have come up with a series of scrap buster projects.

This is called the Daisy Chain Beanie which uses up small bits of yarn for the flowers, joins them together and then creates a hat. They look good with a plain black or white background but I have experimented using different colours for the brim and edging.

Now the crochet enthusiasts will go wow, some might think this is destined for what not to crochet!

I personally like the colour and think they are great to donate to charities or to keep any little kids head warm.

So I post the pattern here for all the scrapaholics to enjoy. There are 2 sizes and you will have to experiment with the sizing. I suspect our yarn down here in Australia might be a bit lighter than the worsted stuff in the US.

I do ask that you respect my copyright. It has taken me a while to design this and write the instructions up so please don't copy, paste to the web, redistribute or sell my patterns. I also ask that in the spirit of paying it forward (PIF) if you do use this pattern for yourself, that you also make an extra hat for a charity.

Finished items are not to be sold.

......and it is nice to know who is doing what with my patterns so please leave a comment.

Daisy Chain Beanie

scrapbuster project

(c) crochetroo designs from Australia

This pretty beanie is made from scraps of 8ply, worsted weight yarn with a 4mm, J6 hook. Make each flower in a different colour, or use different colours for the flower centre. Approximate lengths of yarn for each round are given so you can estimate how to use up your scraps. Weave in your ends as you go. I use a steel hook to pull these into the work.

Australian/British instructions are first, American instructions are second in [square brackets]. I suggest you highlight the ones you need to follow.

While I have made a few of these, the pattern hasn't been tested by others. If you find any errors please let me know.

Sizing: this will depend on your tension and yarn the following is a guide only. My flowers measure 8cm/ 3inches across.

Small (Toddler) = 8 flowers, 44cm/17inches circumference, 17cm/6 ½ inches height,
Large (Child - Teen) = 8 flowers, 50cm/19½ inch circumference, 19cm/ 7 ½ inches height

Daisies

1. 4ch slst into a ring, 2ch 9htr [hdc] into ring, slst join = 10 (110 cm or 45 inches of yarn)

2. 1ch (1dc [sc] into next st, 4ch, miss 1) 5times slst join into first st. You should have 5 loops (90cm or 37inches of yarn)

3. Into each of the ch loops work (1dc[sc], 1htr[hdc], 1tr[dc], 2ch, 1tr[dc], 1htr[hdc], 1dc[sc]) slst finish off = 5 petals (250cm or 100inches of yarn)
For the large size replace the 2ch with 3ch for extra stretch.

Joining Daisies:

Make 1 start daisy and then join as you go with round 3. Work three petals, then work half of the fourth (1dc[sc], 1htr[hdc], 1tr[dc], 1ch) then insert hook into ch space of petal on first flower, join with 1ch, (make 1ch extra for the large size) then work the second half of the petal (1tr[dc], 1htr[hdc], 1dc[sc]). Join 2 petals in this way and then complete round three as above.

Flower 3: Join as for flowers 1 and 2 but check that placement matches the picture above. Every second daisy has a loose petal that points up or down.

You will need to join them in a circle when you work the last flower by catching 2 petals to flower 7 and 2 petals to flower 1.

Beanie Crown
Rounds 1 – 6 of the crown are worked with the stitches between the posts. Start each round with 3ch which counts a 1tr[dc], slst join at the end of each round.

1. Join main yarn to the ch space in any spare petal with a slst, 1dc[sc] into same sp, *3ch, 1dc[sc] between this petal and the next petal, 3ch, 1dc[sc] at petal join, 3ch, 1dc[sc] between next 2 petals, 3ch, 1dc[sc] tip of spare petal* repeat in this manner until you get back to the start dc[sc], slst join. You should have 24 of the 3ch loops.

2. 1ch space, *2dc[sc] into ch sp, 2htr[hdc] next ch sp, 2tr[dc] next ch sp, 2tr[dc] next ch sp, 2htr[hdc] next ch sp, 2dc[sc] next ch sp* work from * to * 4 times, slst join in start ch= 48

For the larger size work 1ch between each set of 2st.

3. 3ch start, 1tr[dc] same st, (this should be between 2 groups of 2dc[sc]), (miss 2st, 2tr[dc] in sp) around = 48st or 24 groups
.
4. For larger size only repeat round 3 = 48st

5. Slst to next sp, 3ch, (counts as 1tr[dc]) miss 2st, (2tr[dc] next sp, miss 2st, 1tr[dc] next sp) around, slst join = 36st

6. Slst to next sp, 3ch start, (miss 2st, 1tr[dc] in sp, miss 1, 1tr[dc] in sp) around. Slst join = 24st

7. You will work into the loops of the stitches from round 7 onwards.
3ch start, (2trtog [dctog], 1tr[dc] next st) around = 16st

8. 3ch, (2tr[dc] tog) around (you will finish with 1tr[dc]), slst finish off leaving 6inches/15cm of yarn. Weave loose end through the top of the loops and pull up tight, stitch in ends to secure.

Brim band

1. Working on opposite side of daisies repeat round 1 as for hat crown.

2. Slst to next ch space, *2dc[sc] into ch sp, 1ch, 2htr[hdc] next ch sp, 1ch, 2tr[dc] next ch sp, 1ch, 2tr[dc] next ch sp, 1ch, 2htr[htr] next ch sp, 1ch, 2dc[sc] next ch sp ,1ch* work from * to * 4 times , slst join in start dc.= 48 (this is the same as round 2 for the round but with 1ch worked between the groups of stitches)

3. Small size as for round 3 of crown, then work the edge

3 - 4 Large size repeat round 2 of band with the extra 1ch between the sets of 2. (You can do as many extra rows as you want to add length to your hat.)

Edge

1. 1dc[sc] between first pair of tr[dc], (3ch, miss 2tr[dc], 1dc[sc] in space) around. Slst join.

2. 3dc[sc] into each 3ch sp around, slst join and weave in ends.

This looks good in a contrast colour. For a larger hat you may need to work 2 rounds of round 3.

Daisy Chain Head Band

1. Make a daisy chain as for a hat.

2. Work both sides of daisies as for rounds 1 and 2 of the brim band

3. Work a final round of 1dc[sc] into each st and each ch space on both edges of your head band.

Using this technique you can also make a scarf.

Have fun and please send me pictures of your finished hats so I can show the world!

Cute Fruit Finished!

Well this fruit took me sooo long to write up an test and photograph etc if it were real it would have been rotten fruit!

I do feel a sense of accomplishment though as I started this lot before Christmas last year. The embarrassing thing is that we have come full cycle and the fruit is back in the shops.

This is what we call Christmas fruit as it adorns our tables in our Summer.

This fabulous looking avocado was worked by one of my wonderful testers. She had much better colours of green in the US than I have here in Australia. The avo is whole, as well as the two cut halves. One of my greatest kitchen fears is cutting myself when I try and remove the avocado seed. There are a heap of avocado farms not far from here so they are usually quite plentiful.

Here is the kiwi fruit - whole and cut.

The stone fruit is particularly colourful and making these is a bit of fun. There are peaches, apricots, nectarines, plums and cherries. I am thinking that I might attach a few of these bits of fruit to the Christmas garland this year for something a bit different. I might also do a few to put in the Christmas stockings for the MIL and SILS.

I have decided though that the grapes are a health hazard. My testers and I nearly went nutty making them. You need to have a certain level of OCD to crochet a bunch of grapes. Give me cherries any day!

They do look good as a part of the bowl. The patterns are now on my etsy store.

I just had to post these as now they are finished I really like them a lot. I have seen some amigurumi fruit around with faces worked on. I am a bit traditional and think that looks a bit silly, but I guess if you want faces on your fruit then you can add them.

Yep I am a show off, but these have really been one of those things that seem to have taken me forever to finalise. I think because I kept adding more fruit to the bowl. My son reckons I now need a pineapple but I am not sure I am up to it!

I am now working on some scrapbuster projects which I will put the patterns up for free when I finish them. These are quick little projects for using up odds and ends of scrap yarn.

Our Summer has truly hit here and we have had stinking hot days, and wild thunder and lightening storms at night. My days of crochet will start to slow as I spend more time outdoors and around the pool. I have the snugly uglies out to test and a few Christmas projects in the wind.

Thanks for looking

(c) crochetroo

please don't nick my photos. I know they are pretty but they belong to me ;o))

Aussie Snuggly Ugg Crochet booties

I have been thinking about ugg boots all winter. Firstly they are an Australian thing, and secondly they are so snuggly warm. I have seen crocheted cowboy boots, ice skates and converse so I figured that Aussie uggs would be the thing for me to design in crochet.

The Ugg boot is an Australian icon, and is traditionally made from 100% sheepskin and fleece. Because the real uggs are made of wool I prefer to crochet these in pure Australian wool to achieve the woolly warmth. This is a quality yarn that is grown and spun in Australia. Nothing can surpass the real thing, but these booties are a bit of fun.



I love pure Australian wool but it doesn't come cheap, even here downunder. This is a patons natural country wool which is so beautiful to work with and deliciously soft and warm.

The picture below shows my trusty uggies which I have loved every winter for about the last 25 years!I love my uggies! This is a more classic style and the one I based my design on. Ugg slippers are basically 2 bits of sheepskin wacked together.



An American company recently trademarked the word “Ugg Australia”, hence restricting the use of these words by traditional Australian Ugg manufacturers. They were subsequently taken to court by a group of Australians who strenuously objected to this action.

Not only did the US company take the words "Ugg Australia", but were also having the boots made in China. Nothing too Australian about that! This caused huge uproar here as Uggs have been arround for decades. It was only when some of the Hollywood types started being seen in them did the overseas market take an interest in them. I have always owned at least one pair. I also have a pair of knee highs which I bought last year in Melbourne.

The history of the ugg boot is an interesting one.

http://www.australian-uggs.com/history-of-the-ug-boot.htm


The sensitivity of a US company trademarking the works Ugg Australia, was such that senior politicians were reported as saying "we should tell the yanks to bugger off".

It was declared that the word Ugg is a generic word in Australia referring to woolen boots and as such can’t be trademarked. Ugg boots have been around since the Second World War and were popular in the 60s and 70s for surfers. They were considered bogan until their recent raise to fame.

These are my original designs based on the classic Aussie Ugg. Please leave your comments on whether I should write the pattern out.

My crochet design is protected by copyright. (c) copyright crochetroo. My images are also copyrighted.

Thanks for looking.

Marque-page Eventail (Fan Bookmark in French)

A wonderful lady in France contacted me to request that she translate my fan bookmark pattern into French. She had used this pattern to make the most amazing scarf. I got such a buzz when I saw what she had done and am so appreciative of her time to translate the pattern into French. Trust a French lady to create such an amazing fashion item!

This is the link to her photo. It is simply stunning and I would never had thought of doing this.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pyogazel/1230620145/

So here is the pattern in French.

The Australian/British and American version is in my original post on 21st May 2006.

Now if there is any one else out there who would like to translate into another language, please let me know as I love the idea of sharing across cultures.

Merci pyogazel!!

Marque-page Eventail

~Abréviations~
mel : maille en l’air
mc : maille coulée
ms : mailles sérrée
br : bride

~Instructions~
Laisser 10 cm de fil avant de faire la première maille.
Faire un cercle de 8 mel et fermer par une mc.

EVENTAIL 1

Rang 1 : dans le cercle, faire 1 ms, 2 mel (remplace la première br), puis 13 br. Total : 14 br.
TOURNER.
Rang 2 : 1 ms, 2 mel dans la première br, [1 mel, 1 br] dans chacune des br suivantes du rang 1. Total : 14 br et 13 mel.
TOURNER.
Rang 3 : [1 ms, 2 mel, 1ms] dans chacune des 10 premières mel du rang 2 (10 picots), [1 ms, 5 mel] dans la mel suivante (la onzième), sauter 3 mel et faire une ms dans la deuxième mel du rang précédent (qui remplace la première br du rang). TOURNER.
(ceci termine le premier éventail)

EVENTAIL 2

Rang 4 : faire [1ms, 2 mel] dans l’arceau de 5 mel du rang 3 (première br), faire 13 br dans le même arceau (total : 14 br), sauter un picot, faire une ms dans l’arceau de 2 mel du picot suivant. TOURNER
Rang 5 : 1 ms, 2 mel dans la première br, [1 mel, 1br] dans chacune des br du rang précédent (total : 14 br, 13 mel). TOURNER.
Rang 6 : comme le Rang 3. TOURNER. (ceci termine l’éventail n°2)

EVENTAIL 3

Rang 7 : comme Rang 4.
Rang 8 : 1 ms, 2 mel dans la première br, [1 mel, 1 br] dans chacune des br du rang 7 (total : 14 br, 13 mel), 1 ms dans le septième picot du rang 3de l’éventail 1, c’est-a-dire le septième à partir de la gauche, ou le quatrième à partir de la droite.
TOURNER.
Rang 9 : comme le Rang 3.
TOURNER.
(ceci termine l’éventail n° 3)

Continuer ainsi jusqu’à avoir 8 éventails.
Au dernier rang du dernier éventail, faire un picot sur chacune des 13 mel du rang précédent, terminer par une ms dans le septième picot du rang 3 de l’éventail 6 (septième à partir de la gauche ou quatrième à partir de la droite).
Couper le fil, arrêter l’ouvrage.

GLAND

Couper 5 fils de 10 cm de long, les plier en 2 et faire passer par le cercle de départ de l’ouvrage, inclure le fil de départ. Amidonner. Repasser.
Offrir !!!

~Copyright~
Je serai ravie que vous fassiez cet ouvrage pour votre usage personnel ou pour des œuvres de charité. Merci de ne pas le vendre pour faire du profit.
Amusez-vous bien car ils sont faciles et rapides à faire une fois qu’on a saisi le truc. Ils sont toujours appréciés comme cadeaux.

Barramundi Fish crochet square

The barramundi is the most delicious fish and is found in our freshwater streams of Northern and Coastal Australia. Barramundi is an aboriginal word meaning large scaly fish. While they are native to Australia they are farmed fish in other parts of the world.



When I was a kid I remember going on the school bus trip to the Northern Territory. One of the things we did was to go fishing on the Kathryn River where I caught with a hand line the most amazing fish. This was the barramundi and had the most wonderful taste. Up till that point in my life I had only had whiting and the odd bit of fish and chip shop flake. When you have fresh fish, caught from the river and cooked on the camp fire it is amazing.



The other memorable fish experiences I have savoured are Canadian Salmon when I was in Montreal. This has to be tasted to be believed, and the New Zealand Orange Roughy. Barramundi is in my opinion and to my taste buds up there with the best.

So number 10 in my rugalugs collection is the barramundi fish. I kept this one pretty simple, with the option of a goggle eye. I don't usually like goggle eyes as I think they often look a bit silly, but they do give the fish personality.


I designed this one in two sizes and then came up with baby wash cloth pattern. I was thinking these would be fabulous for baby showers or last minute gifts. Also a great use of scraps. the pastels look pretty in the real but don't photograph real well.

I have also gone crazy on making fishy hats for my etsy store. This uses the basic hat technique in my pig and penguin pattern sets.

I love doing these as this is an easier motif compared to some of my previous ones, and looks really effective. An afghan done in these would look pretty cute. I have listed the pattern for the fish square on my etsy store.

Spring is here now and I will probably slow down with the yarn as the weather warms.

Thanks for looking!

(c) copyright crochetroo. Ideas not to be copied.

School craft stall

Well the school fete happens every year in September. It is a fun day, and I always enjoy making a box of goodies to donate. It is one of the main fundraisers and has a real carnival atmosphere.

I have learnt that little things that sell for a few dollars seem to turnover so much quicker than larger items with a lot of work.

In previous years I have made boxes of kitchen items, teacosies, crochet kitchen towels and potholders. This year I thought I would try something different.

So I have come up with a range of purse or pocket items. This includes a sunglasses case, and a small makeup case and a phone cosy. This one has a nice cluster stitch on the front and I do like the texture this gives. It also provides a bit of extra padding.

I am also trying to destash the piles of odds and ends in the cupboard so made a few random cases out of odds and ends. I experimented with a basket weave pattern which turned out well. I created a butterfly catch and a flower catch to do the falp closed. A nice old button would be just as good though.

Blokes are always hard to make things for so I had a go at making these out of camo yarn. I made the purse a bit smaller and voila it is a business card holder. I had some old army buttons in my button jar and I think they finish it off nicely.

I have a few more to do and will then cellophane them up for the school fete which is on next weekend. I also have a collection of baby bits and bobs and obligatory kitchen items to donate. The other fun bit is making some toffee and gingerbread men.

I haven't written the patterns up properly, but if I can find a tester or two I might as they were fun little projects to do. I reckon they would be good for Christmas gifts as well.

Thanks for looking!

(c) copyright crochetroo 2007, ideas or images not to be reproduced.

Tasmanian Tiger Crochet Square

Rugalugs square number 9 is the Tasmanian Tiger which can also be used as a kitty cat, or a tiger and other feline friends depending on the use of colour.

This is the 9th square in my rugalugs series. I decided I needed a cat, so the Tasmanian Tiger was the perfect critter to choose. The story of the Tasmanian tiger or thylacine is a sad one as they were declared extinct in 1986. The Tasmanian tiger was a marsupial dog with a pouch like a wombat, a head like a dog, and stripes and tail like a tiger. So it was never really a cat at all! The same way as the Koala was never a bear.

The last known thylacine was captured in 1933 and died in 1936. Their demise was accompanied by European settlement and the introduction of sheep to Australia. As a carnivorous animal they were captured and killed by the farmers. The government at the time placed a bounty on the slaughter of the thylacine. They became rare and in the early 1900s were purchased by zoos around the world. The last one died in the Hobart Zoo on the 7th of September 1936. The 7th of September is now marked as 'Threatened Species Day'.

The story of the thylacine is a message to us all in conservation and protection of native species. It demonstrates how far we have come in less than 100 years in terms of environmental awareness, and how awful we have been in the past in respecting the world around us. I cant fathom what the heck the early settlers were thinking? I read somewhere it was about the sheep, as the tigers used to kill them. Such a tragedy that the farmers had such little appreciation for the special creatures we had here. We took the kids to Tasmania a few years back and had a great time trying to see a tiger as we drove around. It is such stunning state to visit, but sadly no tigers.

Domestic cats can be a bit of an environmental nuisance as they kill our birds and wildlife. The feral cat is also quite destructive on the environment, and the native critters at risk as they compete against the introduced species.

I came up with a tail end. The boys call this (rather crudely) his date hole. You can turn the tail around and add a bow for effect. The real tiger had a stripey tail and you can get this effect in variegated yarn. I have done it plain as this photographs much better fro my blog.

And this is little Tasmanian Tiger Kitty.

I designed this square in 2 sizes with the potential to be adapted into a kitty cat as well as a tiger.

The tigers look great on stuff for little boys and I have been making a few hats with tigers on the front. One day when I have finished designing all of these squares I might get round to making an afghan out of them all. At the moment I am enjoying the fun of making little projects with little kids in mind. Our daughters boyfriend is a mad Tigers supporter. She has crossed the floor from Queensland to New South Wales now which is quite risky behaviour!

Tiger Teams always have good colours though. The yellow gold and black is pretty stunning!

My next rugalugs is a Baramundi Fish. So far it looks terrific and I will share it with you soon.

Thanks for looking!

(c) copyright crochetroo 2007. Do not copy or imitate as this is bad karma and your chooks will turn into emus and kick your dunny down!

Cute fruit

Some of you will be familiar with the Beaut Fruit Platter. This has been one of more popular pattern sets. As well as tweaking this one, (there was something a bit strange with the lemon) I have been working on a second set. The second set has been in the making for about the last 8 months. I cant believe it has taken me all year to get to this point!



This little lot of fruit goodness I have decided to call Cute Fruit. While it has been in production for a while now and I have just about finished the write up of the patterns. The family are a bit tired of the half finished bowl sitting around the house for so long! I started it before Christmas when these fruits were available so I could have real fruit models.

I am really pleased at how it is looking though and gives the fruit enthusiast some more crochet fruit to add to the bowl.



Cute Fruit included all the yummy things we get here in our summer which is at Christmas time.

Kiwi Fruit. I just love these little guys. I slice them up and put on the top of the pavlova. Yummo. My sister in law is a kiwi and her mum makes the most delicious Kiwi and Apple Amber pudding. So scrumptious with loads of ice cream.

Next came the avocado. There are a lot of avocado farms in Queensland and we have a plentiful supply of these babies. My brother in law has a farm in the Maleny area and has avocados growing down the back of his property. I enjoy them in a salad, avocado and chicken on a turkish bread or used in mexican dip. I didn't have any real good avocado coloured yarn, but the look is good. This one is pretty easy to work up as it is basically a pear, and then I halved it and added the seed. I wouldn't leave a real cut kiwi or avocado on the fruit bowl, but they are pretty boring until you cut them open. I cant remember either avocados or kiwi fruit when I was growing up, but they are very abundant here now. I have always thought that avocados are an acquired taste.


Then there is the grapes. These are a bit tedious to make but look great in amongst the other fruits. I chose to do seedless white sultana grapes, but purple or black would look pretty cool as well. There are lots of grapes grown here, hence our fabulous wine industry. South Australia is probably the grape centre of Australia.



By this stage the bowl was looking very green and brown, and I felt I needed some colour. Nothing better than stone fruit to liven the kitchen up!

So I created peaches, plums, apricots and nectarines. Most of our stone fruit here comes from the Granite Belt west around the Stanthorpe area. Some comes from Victoria. This time of year there isn't much about, but come the warmer months the shops have plenty to choose from. I am hoping that our recent drought doesn't limit supply too much. The shapes are all fairly similar, it is really a matter of size and colour choice. These were a lot of fun to make and I found lots of stone fruit colours in my stash.

Finally, the other little treat we get in summer are cherries. I remember as a kid going cherry picking in Victoria. Most of our cherries come from down south where the humidity is less and the soil and climate conducive to cherry growing. I did notice earlier this week that US cherries are in the store. The US fruit always seems a bigger to the ones grown here. I don't know if that is because they export the best, or whether they are a different variety.

So now I have a full bowl and I am pretty pleased with how it turned out. I like the different shapes and colours.

Once the patterns have had a final test I will be listing them as a group on etsy.

Thanks for looking!

(c)crochetroo 2007 please do not copy my photos. Direct links welcome.