Seeing Green

Today I'm showing off an afghan I finished earlier this year. In March (yes, I am a terrible procrastinator) my husband and I spent a few days in the Blue Mountains to celebrate our anniversary, and I decided to take advantage of the backdrop for a little photo shoot.

The place we stayed was called Possums Hideaway, in Blackheath. We had a private and very cosy bungalow which had it's own little fireplace, which we enjoyed despite not strictly needing it at that time of year...

I could blather on about the stunning vistas and perfect weather, but I suppose I should mention the afghan I made, given this is supposedly a craft blog.

I used a free pattern I found online consisting of alternating V and shell stitches. It was so simple to work, and yet the effect is quite striking, I think.

I chose three shades of blue-toned greens and black to create an ombre effect. The two darkest wools were Panda brand Magnum Soft, which is 100% acrylic but such a pleasure to work with and reasonably priced -- especially if you're buying on sale in Summer!

I was having a great time pottering about in the bush around our bungalow taking photos in the early Autumn sunshine. It was our last day, and we were taking our time getting ready to drive home.

I was pretty surprised to find myself nose to nose with this little fellow, up way past his bed time! He gave me a bit of a fright, but given he was inhabiting a "feeding box" attached to the bungalow, he wasn't phased by his human encounter at all. I don't imagine we're the first (nor the last) people contributing to his furry rotundness, after all.

I guess they don't call it Possums Hideaway for nothing!

Blackheath is beautiful. I suspect we'll be coming back. :)

Spectral Shades

I learned how to knit at a really early age, thanks to my mum casting on and off for me and some patient lessons from my grandma. However, I never really got the hang of crochet for some reason. A couple of months ago I was admiring a crocheted chevron throw my mum had made to use up some scrap wool that had accumulated over the years, and decided I would give it a go.

Armed with a hook, some wool, and a Doris Day DVD, I asked my mum to show me how to work the pattern. I managed to get the hang of it by the time Doris finished her final ballad. I continued to work on it in the following weeks, and before I knew it I'd worked through ten balls of wool and had a not too bad throw for my couch!

The pattern is called "Spectral Shades", and it's from Better Homes and Gardens magazine, June 2010 edition.

I finished up another little project while I was working on the throw; this cute little cat tote (which I forgot to iron before photographing, oops).

I used this tutorial from Fresh Lemons Quilts, without the outer pockets.