Victorian Bushfire Appeal

http://www.redcross.org.au/vic/services_emergencyservices_victorian-bushfires-appeal-2009.htm

There is not much more that can be said about the bush fires that ripped through Victoria last week. The victims of the fires included both human and wildlife. It is estimated that nearly 200 people lost their lives while over 1Million wildlife are estimated to have perished. I count my blessings that where I live is safe from the fires, and I have appreciated the numerous enquiries I have received from the Internet community.


The photo above of Sam the koala is one of the most touching encounters I have ever seen. Sam drank three bottles of water and had badly scorched paws.

The Dust team ( Down Under Street Team) at Etsy have organised a special store in order to raise funds for the bushfire appeal.

All the goods have been donated with 100% going to the Red Cross.

I have listed some special packages of my crochet patterns and will be contributing some more as soon as I get them together.



Please visit the Etsy VICTORIAN BUSHFIRE APPEAL store:
http://ozbushfireappeal.etsy.com/



alternatively if you wish to donate direct:

http://www.redcross.org.au/vic/services_emergencyservices_victorian-bushfires-appeal-2009.htm

Thank you for your support.

(c) crochetroo Australia

Happy Hearts (free crochet pattern)

Happy Hearts - to make you feel warm and fuzzy like a nice hug!


This is one of those silly things I came up with while I was watching TV. We don't really celebrate Valentines Day in a big way down here, however it does seem to be getting more popular with the young ones. My boys are at the age when there seems to always be a young lady at the dinner table so I figured I would go with the flow and make some hearts in the mood of love.

This is what I call my Happy Heart Motif. I am still working on the background count, however here is the heart to get you started.

Some of the ideas for what you could do with these are:

• Make a set for some quirky coasters,
• Join 2 together and fill with lavender for a sachet,
• Add a ribbon to the top to make a hanging decoration,
• Make one in cotton and add a tassel for a book mark,
• Sew a bobby or pin on the back and wear as a brooch, or
• Use to decorate a card for someone special.

Instructions

Australian and UK terms are used first; USA are shown second in [brackets].

8ply/double knit/worsted weight yarn in 2 colours 4mm/ J6 hook = 9cm, 3.75 in wide
Small heart use 4ply [size 10] cotton and 1.75mm/ steel 5 hook = 6cm / 2.5 in wide

Round 1: 3ch slst into ring, 3ch start then working into ring make 15tr [dc], slst into top of start ch to form a circle =16

Round 2: 3ch start, into next st work 8tr [dc], miss 2st, 1dc [sc] next st, miss 2 st, 8tr [dc] next st, 1tr [dc] next st, 2tr [dc] next st twice, 1tr [dc] next st, (2tr 1dtr 2tr) OR [2dc 1tr 2dc] into next st (chin point), 1tr [dc] next st, 2tr [dc] next st twice, slst join to start ch, finish off and weave in ends = 34 st

Round 3: Worked in front loops only
Join contrast yarn with a slst at the chin, 1ch 1dc [sc] in same st, 2ch 1tr [dc] same st, *miss 1 st then 1dc [sc] next st, 2ch 1tr [dc] same st* repeat from *-* around heart, slst join to last ch finish off and weave in ends = 17 shells.

Smile and Eyes

If you look at your heart you will see the outline of a smile and some eyes.

Using contrast yarn neatly stitch a mouth between round 1 and 2.

Work 3 stitches to create eyes. These can be angled to create different personalities.

Enjoy giving your Happy Hearts to someone special. Have a loving Valentines Day!


(c) crochetroo Australia protected by copyright. Please do not reproduce my patterns or images by any means. While I am happy for you to make these for personal use, gifts and limited charity fundraising, please do not sell on the web or sell finished items to make a personal profit.

Happy Australia Day!

Today is Australia Day. This celebrates the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney cove and the start of our contemporary Australian Settlement. For the indigenous Australian, this day marked the invasion of the British, the arrival of rabbits, rats, measles and the common cold.

We have come a long way in reconciliation, however more is to be done.

Last night we watched Jelena Dokic win the quarter final in the Australian Open. This was quite an Achievement for this young woman. Her life has been pretty tough as she has battled depression, financial difficulties and a father who has attracted a lot of bad press for his antics. It was her Dad who brought her to Australia in 1994 to escape the conflict in their native Yugoslavia and turn her into a tennis champion. He was then thrown out of the United States Open in 2000 after screaming obscenities. But last night she was remarkable.

So while watching the tennis I was feeling a little patriotic and decided I would try and do an Australian Flag Tea Cosy - just for Australia Day.

How stupid of me as the Australian flag isn't the easiest thing to crochet. In fact why couldn't our flag be as simple as the Yugoslavia ( Serbian ) flag with simple stripes of red white and blue.

So here is my first attempt.

Family feedback - "the stars aren't starry enough"

" flags are supposed to be rectangular not square" .. doh but the teapot is round

"The pointer looks like the size of a meteor about to hit Ularoo"

"mmm I didn't realise the Southern Cross was made of triangles, and a white space.

"You know the pointer has 7 points Mum"

Yep, I know that I counted them.. pity it looks like a wildflower.....

The points are symbolic , one for each State and 1 for the territories. I reckon a flannel flower would have been a hellava lot easier to crochet though. It could easily have 7 petals.

" You should have started this about 6 months ago if you wanted it finished by today...."

Yes I love having honest critique to improve my design skills ; o)

Oh well at least I got the colours right.

So this is the first side of the cosy, and I am away to see if I can make the stars starrier, the pointer a bit more pointy, and find a rectangular teapot.

As for the rest of the Day, I have baked the pavlova, and it is now cooling in the oven. We have a nice leg of lamb to roast in the Weber and a bottle of Jacobs Creek red.

I was planning to go and sweep out the barb q area as we had a bit of a storm last night. As I look out the deck though, it is starting to rain. Maybe I will just stay in side and see if I can improve on the flag instead.

I am also thinking that the Indigenous flag might have been an easier choice for my first flag attempt.

Have a happy Australia Day!

(c) crochetroo Australia

A yarn about yarn - Panda Lustre

A work colleague of mine is having a baby this week ( his wife that is) , and we had a baby shower for him. She is a tiny little thing and is having a planned c section. They have the date set, and they know it is a girl. I always liked the surprise factor when I had my kids. Knowing the date and sex to me, is a bit like knowing what your Birthday present is, before you open it.

So in the knowledge that it was a little girl I made the baby pink booties above. This got me thinking about baby yarns. Now I must say they turned out the cutest little things, however this is mainly due to the yarn. Had I made them from string, I doubt they would have the same cuteness factor happening!

I made these little tea tree booties out of Panda Lustre. I just love this yarn. It is my favorite for making baby stuff in the synthetic yarn range available down here and quite reasonable priced.


If you look close at the picture you can see the viscose lustre running through the thread. The composition is 85% acrylic and 15% viscose.

Crocheting with this stuff is very satisfying, and no I don't have shares in the company! However a look inside my wool cupboard might indicate otherwise.

The koalas above were made in the variegated lilac in the range, and the little hat below in the flecked white, aqua and yellow.

And then there is baby blue.. I have been experimenting with baby sulphur cockatoo designs, and while the lemon isn't quite sulphur it is soft enough for babies gear.

And a few years back they had mint but they seem to have discontinued it. At the time I bought a few balls of it as I reckon mint green is a nice alternative to lemon when you don't know the babies gender. It works brilliantly for my koala booties as it reminds me of the gum trees.

So this is my favourite synthetic baby yarn. I have never been big on the nylons as they seem to split. The lustre in the Panda gives a nice texture that adds to a quality finish. It also has an increasing colour range in the traditional baby pastels.

Here is a link to their web:

http://www.pandayarns.biz/colour_range.asp?yarnid=11

Now as you can see the page really under represents this product as the colours are much sharper and the viscose really sparkles. An Australian company who has been around for a few years now. Why the heck they are "Panda" and not "Possum" or "Numbat" is any ones guess, but they do spin a good product.

Thanks for looking.

(c) crochetroo Australia images protected by copyright.