Happy Hookday

 School's out for summer, and Hookery is off on its holidays! Check the side bar for holiday hooking spots over the summer. I'm not always about still at this time of the year, but clearly if you host a Hookery the night before your birthday you shouldn't be as surprised as I was at great generosity and sheer culinary prowess.

 Thank you, Niqi, for the rose cake. Thank you, Debbie, for coming to join us, and my goodness we are looking forward to your night in September. I will confess that the idea of spending a night on decopatch terrifies the life out of my comparatively limited creative abilities, but your beautiul work is very inspirational!

 Always back to work eventually. Blanket components for Hombolo being laid out on the floor and considered. Fabulous crochet tops. A piece of magical whimsy in pink gossamer.

And oh the food. The food, the foodies, the fed! Thank you for my Happy Hookday x

Knitting Kitty

I'm not sure whether Flic wants to learn to knit and crochet or whether it is her stamp of approval ....

My winter waistcoat

Blanket for Tanzania

St Mungo hats for the homeless

Throw for Rachel's bed

New baby -Evie's blanket

Coast picture

New baby - Conor's blanket

My large all purpose bag

Blanket for Tanzania

And if all else fails just hide in the knitting basket!

 If I leave wool down at all she is all over it!

Throw alike

During the summer of 2013 Helena appeared at Hookery with a brightly coloured picture of a pattern for a throw.  The gauntlet had been thrown into the playing field and, of course, we rose to the challenge.  The original pattern came from Let's Knit and can be seen here in lovely shades of sea blues:

Helena's super chunky yarn version, completely made from scraps of wool, looked like this, and it could be known as 'Tanzania' as it went out to Hombolo in October 2013

Queen Niqi created Pebbles for herself and Violette as a Christmas present, both in double knitting. Although Pebbles has been appropriated by Ann & Blanco!  Blanco is trying to be incognito at the bottom of the left-hand picture ....

Then my own chunky seasonally-coloured version, Noelle, appeared in time for Christmas.  Noelle measures 5ft X 4.5ft and is really snug and warm.  Looking at this photo, I think it could do with a bit of technical 'blocking' to get it onto the straight (if not the narrow!).

This was followed by Slane in wonderful shades of red, turquoise, cream and black and was crocheted using double knitting and lives with my friend in the midst of the scenic Mourne Mountains, County Down.  This friend would love to be a Hookit but distance determines that she can't really join our group.

And now Muted Mania is on the hook, ably assisted by a young feline who loves wool of all descriptions, textures and colours and who is, allegedly, testing the Tog rating of the throw in this pic!

And all from the same pattern - how creative!

Hombolo hookery

Just wait to you see these pictures.

The blankets and teddies were all packed up and made their way with Grace, Matt and Ricky to Tanzania, to the village of Samaria on the outskirts of Hombolo.  Vacu-bags are a wonderful invention!

The ladies were thoroughly delighted with their gifts.

 


One Hookit donated knitting needles and wool which were also taken.  The photos show Grace teaching the ladies and children how to knit, without many words of English passing between them.  Isn't that just amazing?

The menfolk also took to knitting and apparently one man, Thomas on the right, was knitting away whilst chatting and looking round him but still producing quite a creation.

 


Here is a little child just getting so much enjoyment from looking at the colourful pictures without being able to understand a single word.

Here are some of the pillowcase dresses before they were packed to go and one picture with the little girl who will be wearing it.

Thanks once again to all who contributed.

Hombolo Handover

The 'Hookery Three'

Hombolo team and honorary ' MC' Mags

Tonight's Hookery saw the handover of various creations to Ricky, Grace & Matthew, who will be bringing them out to Hombolo on Saturday 19th October.

Comments had been made that in previous years the male residents of the village had benefitted greatly from the visit, and perhaps it would be nice to do something more for the ladies. Well Angela started the whole thing off with a beautiful crocheted blanket and followed this up with patchwork bags from her sewing group.  Other ladies provided blanket - Helena, Heather Boss and Queen Niqi.  Then some baby hats and teddies were provided too.  Leigh came along with some 'pillowcase dresses' for young girls which were so beautifully made.

Grace, Matthew and Ricky were very surprised by the huge amount of handmade garments we have gathered for their trip.   They also remarked on the amount of detailed work that had gone into each piece of work.

Bon voyage to our three travellers but also to the whole group of 12 from Northern Ireland who have gone out.

And teddy went too

Busy, busy, busy ...

Tonight we had a very busy and full house (9 of us in total) and by far the biggest gathering since our party night in June.  We also had a busy, bustling conversation crossing back and forth across the coffee table covering weddings, cruises in The Med, our next party night, a creative spiritual day out to Corrymeela, book club, pot luck suppers, Victor Hugo's Les Mis, and village fairs.

Lots of busy crochet was going on as well:
Rosemary and Anne continue to churn out Innocent hats

Welcome back Karen, long time no see.  But Karen has been busy and has made this beautiful needle case in doubles

And is progressing into trebles for her next project ably guided by Guru Patricia who has been once again drawing her tried and tested pattern of 'woolly sheep'

Leigh assures us that this tangle will become a tea cosy by the end of the night

Ta dah!

Helena has been travelling far and wide in search of new wool and found this one in Dublin last weekend

Helena is also busy with two jumpers on needles, two throws at various stages of completion and a blanket for Hombolo - there's some more 'busy'

Cooking Catherine continues to kit her boys out in aran sweaters

 

Anne and Rosemary produced the ideal picture for Queen Niqi's next major project which will certainly keep her busy!  Apparently the pattern will be produced next week ....  Just in case you can't see it very well, it is a yarn-bombed train!

   

Apparently there has been some yarn-bombing of statues at the front of Belfast City Hall .....  And it wasn't us!