Winter means wool

So this past week turned out to be more of a crochet than an embroidery week. It took a bit of a tedious turn when we got a call on Monday to say the renovators were finally coming early on Tuesday morning to replace our water-damaged ceilings - remember the leaky roof? This scuppered my plan to spend a good chunk of the week drawing up designs for one project and embroidering the new designs I’m busy working on for my shop, which are turning out better than expected by the way (always so exciting when that happens). 

It crossed my mind to grab my variegated granny squares project out of the cupboard. But I promptly forgot to do so because I was so busy trying to make sure my sewing machine, overlocker and other needlework paraphernalia were covered and shielded from builders' dust. Naturally, I kicked myself once they’d draped everything in dust sheets and we were limited to the enclosed balcony while the renovators got to work, as I could have crocheted quite a few squares while closeted up in there. I'm back on this project, which I'd only just started towards the end of last winter - I have a few more squares now than this though.

And then of course once they’d left, despite promises of cleaning up after themselves, we were left with a layer of dust everywhere. Everywhere! We’ve literally washed, wiped down and cleaned every item and surface in our entire flat since Tuesday evening. Twice. At least the ceilings look good, though.

Then it was national election day here in South Africa on Wednesday, which usually means long queues at the polls although I got lucky and it only took me about half an hour. Nevertheless, I was prepared this time with my crocheting in my bag, ready to keep my hands busy in case of a long wait. I only got about half a block done before getting on with the business of democracy, but it was long enough for a lady walking out and past the queue to stop and tell me about the 67 Blankets for Madiba Day project.

It’s super altruistic and I’d love to pledge a blanket, but I didn’t have the heart to tell her that despite my best intentions, blankets usually end up taking me a few years each to complete. And rather than make a promise I knew I’d likely not be able to keep, I thought I’d publicise the movement here and perhaps garner one or two more blankets this way. So go and check it out, perhaps you have more time for crocheting (or knitting) than I do and would like to contribute to a worthy cause in the name of our beloved Nelson Mandela.

When I say we wiped down and cleaned every item in our home, that includes all the books and magazines. And it was too tempting to flip through a few pages here and there. I came across an American Woman’s Day Super Special Granny Squares edition from 1979 and just have to share...

When granny squares go wrong:

 

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud, and then feel so grateful at how far we’ve come in terms of design, colour and yarn in the past 35 or so years.

The weather is turning blustery and overcast as I type this and last night, a wintery chill definitely crept in. As we’ll be visiting my in-laws who live about two hours away for the weekend, crocheting is definitely on the cards. Wool season has officially begun down south.