garlanding

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Recently, I was visiting one of my favourite blogs and saw this post. I followed a link, saw this

and thought, "I want to make those!" So I did.


I thought they'd be nice for the girls' room for 'Eid!

 
I made some squares and circles in more "boyish" colours.


Of course, the boys' room needs one too!


I just love blog-hopping and poring over lovely creations of others. Emma Lamb has these hanging beauties

and Sarah London has the Granny Star Garland.


And way back last year, Lucy was doing this flowery bunting!

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another baby blanket

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

I had four projects on the go. I've finished one and now I have five!!! How did that happen? The extra two are little things that have to be done by 'Eid (this Friday) in sha Allah!

Well, tomorrow this little bundle will be headng over to it's little bundle of a recipient in Taif, a one week old baby boy!


Here it is, in its entirety.

Unfortunately, it was a unusually grey when I took these photos!

I liked crocheting this Tulip Stitch.

I hope Little One will feel snug and cosy in it.

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crochet in progress

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

There are always crochet projects on the go aren't there? But on good days there are two, maybe three, no, four? Yes, FOUR on the go, on the same day. Why? Because I'm a flitter!

There's the 2009 Crochet-A-Long. Still crocheting along but photos later!

There's this ...


... which should become something for a little baby boy born on Saturday!

This ...

... is something for my daughter to wear.

And this:


The beginning of an Autumnal shawl. Here's hoping it's finished in Autumn!

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yummy yarn

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Once upon a time, I ordered some yarn.


Some Rowan CashCotton. The colours I chose somehow had something to do with my baby's trainers and I blogged about it here. Yes, I even made a square with it. But then I put it all away for the "right" project. I would occasionally stop and have a feel of it as I pulled out other yarns or as I tidied my stash. Then one day, I said to myself, "I must put this yarn to good use NOW!" I started granny-ing away.


And as I did, the softness of the yarn and the combination of soft blue and aqua with vibrant geranium screamed out to me: "BABY"! Yes! This project must be something for a baby. A soft, cozy blanket.


As the blanket grew, I realised that it wouldn't grow too much as I just didn't have enough yarn. I could order some more and sit tight and wait. Who wants to do that though? So I decided to incorporate some white yarn in to it. It just didn't look right. After frogging and trying again, I decided that I would just finish it off and hope for the best.


I do believe that the new-born recipient I have in mind for this blanket will be on the small side like his/her siblings!

So I'm hoping the blanket will be just right for the early days.

So, after a light block and a spritz of lovely linen spray (Egyptian Cotton!) I'm putting this one away for the little one to be snuggled up in in sha Allah!

Of course, I made some flowers with the left over scraps!

And now I have these to play with!

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cal 2009: october squares

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Well, here we are in November and I've just finished by October squares. Different colours: yes. What do I expect from the finished blanket? I have no idea!

The patterns:

Top right: Carousel
Right: Pumpkin Patch
Top left: Op-Art Afghan
Bottom left: Birthday Flower

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book browsing

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

I want to share a few of my favourite Interior Design books with you. Over the last few years we've been able to pick each one up for a reasonable price at our local Jarir Bookstore. Jarir is the Saudi equivalent to Borders, I suppose. And they have the coffee outlets too!


Yesterday, as I was browsing, I remembered how much I love these books!


Bathrooms is a little book (in the Miniarch series) full of inspiration: From minimalistic styles ...

... to those with a more traditional, country feel ...


... if you need bathroom ideas, it's got them. Follow the link and you can take a look inside. Speaking of bathrooms, I'm really looking forward to seeing the new bathroom at Attic24.

I actually have a couple of the Idea Books but this ...


... is from the Trim Idea Book. The book focuses on all sorts of trim: on walls, ceilings, stairs, you name it. But it's also packed with photos that have great ideas for other projects.

The Windows and Skylights book is especially good for those designing and building their own homes.

My absolute favourite though has got to be ...


... Designs for a Healthy Home: An Eco-Friendly Approach.
It's brilliant and brimming not only with design ideas but also tips on how to live a healthier lifestyle in tune with our natural surroundings.

I love it! It discusses all sorts of eco-friendly design ideas but it also details ALL the other aspects of creating a healthy home, like eating fruits and vegetables that are in season, how to best cope with outdoor temperatures changes and the most efficient materials for our kitchen utensils! I really want to go and have a look through it RIGHT NOW!

But before I go, although I love looking through books that I can hold, I love visiting sites and blogs too.


Lately I've been enjoying Dar dz.

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seeing red

I'm Asian. My husband is not. I've been married for over a decade and I still get asked the "all-important" question: "Does he eat spicy food?" 

I had these in my fridge
.

The Main Man bought them and they reminded me of how often I've been asked about the chilli-content of his diet when I was always the one who couldn't handle the heat in a spicy curry! These days though, I crave it and the hot sauce is always out! [In case anyone is worried wondering, no. No, bun in the oven.] 

But I'm not blogging about all of that. I just wanted to share their intense colour with you.  For a while, I couldn't bring myself to use them, so I preserved them in some vinegar.

They sat on the worktop for my viewing pleasure. I chopped up a couple of them yesterday and used them in a baked fish dish alongside julienned carrots, fennel, spring onions, ginger and a little lemon. They played their part well! 

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cal 2009: february squares

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Yep, you know, some time at the beginning of the year we had a month called February? And way back then, I crocheted two of the CAL squares for the month. But I wasn't best pleased with them. I changed hook size by about April and for the sake of consistency decided that I would do previous squares again. I did. But then I also decided to crochet the other two squares for February that I hadn't already done. So here they all are:


In case you want the patterns, on the left we have Caring Hearts. The top right is the Two Tone square. Below that we have the One Heart and at the bottom, Center Heart.

Most of my squares are bright, solid colours, but I do have some creams, pinks and light purples. If they don't all go together, there are going to have to be two separate blankets!

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