Needles & Brushes 2

Happy holidays!

2009-12-23T16:34:00.002+08:00

Is it really Christmas?
It seems like it was yesterday, I was back from visiting my family in Australia last year just a few weeks before the holidays and suddenly it's Christmas again....
I am almost frightened by how quickly the past twelve months have gone but I guess it means that life hasn't been boring for me lately.

Anyway, I want to wish all my readers a peaceful Christmas with their loved ones and a new year of good things!

Enjoy the festivities!

Scarborough Fair Crochet Shawl Pattern

2009-12-08T22:21:00.006+08:00

Finally ready and available in My Original Designs, on my Ravelry page and on Etsy.

Materials needed for a rectangular shawl that measures cm45 x cm170 -

approximately 150gr (1100 - 1200 yds) 2ply laceweight yarn,
1.6mm ( US 6 ) crochet hook.

Pattern includes written instructions and chart.

Scarborough Fair Shawl sneak peak

2009-12-01T22:26:00.009+08:00

And here it is finally blocked!

Just over 120gr. of my favourite Lana Gatto laceweight wool in a lovely shade of sage green and less than one week of work at night time in front of tv.
The pattern is being tested by some lovely ladies from the Ravelry Testing Pool and will be available early next week.

On the knitting front, my favourite pastime has been designing and knitting scarves and neckwarmers, some of which can be found on ETSY such as Capuccino Scarf with pompoms-

Persimmon Neckwarmer-

A very versatile Mohair Scarflette - Neckwarmer - Shoulderette - that can be worn in different ways-

just to mention a few, and lastly another knit shawl in soft and warm lilac mohair.

Scarborough Fair Shawl

2009-11-23T22:01:00.001+08:00

This is the suggestive name of my new crochet shawl pattern which will be ready just in time for Christmas. Curious? Sorry, you will have to wait for a few days. ;)

Halloween and Pumpkin Risotto recipe.

2009-10-28T17:00:00.003+08:00

Although Halloween does not belong to our tradition, it's not unusual to see it being celebrated here in Italy where on the 1st of November the catholic church celebrates All Saints, the following day it commemorates the dead and therefore the first two days of November are considered religious festivities. Nowdays our population is becoming more and more multicultural and influenced by culture and traditions of other countries. It is only natural, isn't it?

And Halloween means pumpkin. How about a delicious Pumpkin Risotto?

Ingredients for 3-4 servings
2 cups diced pumpkin
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
2 tblsp olive oil
chopped parsley
1 1/2 cups short grain rice
stock ( chicken, meat, or made with your favourite stock cubes )
2 tblsp grated parmesan cheese ( or your favourite mature cheese)
2 tsps butter ( optional)
salt and pepper to taste. ( you will probably find that you will not need to add salt because the stock is already very sapid and the cheese will add extra salt to the dish)

Sautee’ onion and pumpkin with the parsley and the oil until cooked and soft, adding a little water when needed. Add rice, stir for a few minutes, add stock gradually until the rice is cooked (absorbtion method), stirring often. Turn off the heat, add the cheese and the butter, stir well and serve hot.
Enjoy!! :)

Recycle!

2009-10-13T17:36:00.012+08:00

The "health" of our planet is compromised, there is no doubt about it and there is no turning back. How sad! But each one of us can play a very important part in reducing the amount of trash we generate by re-using as many products as possible. I have thought of a nice way of decorating my home at Christmas using "trash", which also means saving money. ;)

Firstly, these crocheted Christmas tree ornaments made with cotton thread, beads and soda can tabs that I created for the Etsyhookers crochet challenge 7 -

It took me about four hours to complete both.

And how about these candle holders made with green and yellow plastic soda bottles. Don't they look like glass?

There's a bit of work involved into making these but I think the result is worth it.
I'm thinking about making a few more with clear plastic water bottles.

Think about it... Together we can save our planet for our children!

New crocheted projects

2009-09-22T18:19:00.008+08:00

The Deep Raspberry Shawl went fast! :), and I quickly made this Pink Camellia Lace Shawl to replace it on Etsy

And this romantic accessory

Rose And Ruffles Scarf - Neckwarmer

Extra long, 200cm, it can be worn in many ways - wrapped many times around the neck or as a scarf. I made this without following a pattern using a wool/acrylic blend (80%wool, 20%acrylic) in black and light grey-brown.

As far as knitting is concerned, stay tuned: free scarf pattern coming soon!

Knit, crochet, cook.

2009-09-18T16:39:00.007+08:00

One of the things I have neglected very much lately is cooking. I obviously cook every day, lunch and dinner, but nothing special. Being in Italy means eating pasta very often and I have plenty of personal recipes for tasty pasta sauces which are made in a jiffy. Which comes handy especially when it's hot or when I'm too taken by my work.
Although I like hot soup all year round, the rest of the family enjoys it only in the cold season with the exception of my "Peas and prawns pasta soup" which can be eaten hot or warm. It is delicious.
Here on the coast I can get the freshest seafood and I can assure you that using fresh prawns is the secret for making this dish a masterpiece!

Made it yesterday. And a banana - nut bread for which I didn't follow a recipe. I used my bread machine and the recipe for white bread with milk and one egg instead of water, a small piece of butter, a little honey, 2 mashed ripe bananas, raisins, chopped walnuts and hazelnuts, cinnamon.

Quite good. Plan to make another one tomorrow, but I will add a couple of tbls of sugar to the mixture this time.

Two new shawls on Etsy

2009-09-11T23:02:00.008+08:00

Deep Raspberry crocheted triangular shawl

100% pure new italian fingering weight wool in deep raspberry. What a lovely shade! And the crocheted floral pin with bead gives it that extra touch... :)
(From my original pattern available on Etsy or here )

And.. Venezia Lace knitted wedding shawl

in 2ply cream- white wool blend and 5.5mm needles. It blocked out rather large- 200cm x 95cm. It's amazing how "stretchy" this stitch is. (My original pattern for the Venezia Shawl is available on Etsy or here)
I have always wanted to knit a wedding shawl. Probably because wedding shawls are not in the italian tradition, which is a pity.
Both listed in my Etsy shop - check them out!

Finally the warm season seems to have come to an end and the rain these days is such a welcome change, finally. Which means inspiration for new winter designs and items. My hobbies room is such a mess at the moment, with yarn balls all over the place not to mention needles and hooks. No, no pictures!!!

Pattern sale - one more week!

2009-09-01T20:30:00.000+08:00

My buy-one get-another-for-free offer has gone quite well and so I have decided to extend it for one more week. It will end on the 6th of September 2009. Don't miss it!

Too hot to work...

2009-08-19T14:54:00.010+08:00

...but I still try. I have so much to do these days and a million things on my mind. Because I'm having a hard time going to sleep at night I do some knitting and I have almost completed a white Venezia Lace shawl and a very pretty cream-white scarf which might end up for sale on Etsy. Meanwhile I have listed a couple more items-
a cotton eyeglass or sunglass case, crocheted and lined for extra protection, closes with a pretty vintage button and I have decorated it using an unusual embroidery technique: the yarn is wrapped around a pencil then the flowers are formed and stitched on the item. Tricky but effective. I have then decorated each flower with a small pearl.

A couple more crocheted cell phone - iphone - ipod cases-
one in chocolate brown with pink Sarubobo doll and vintage button

and one cream - white with red Sarubobo doll and matching red vintage button

and because I really enjoy making them, a few more cute tiny Sarubobo dolls

don't you love to see mama and baby playing together? :)

so sweet!! You will find more details here
And lastly, the buy-one and get-one-free pattern sale is still on. Don't miss it!

Pattern summer sale

2009-08-14T16:19:00.005+08:00

From now to the 31st of August: buy one pattern, get another one for free.
How? Purchase one pattern normally then contact me with the name of the pattern you would like to receive for free. I will send it to your Paypal email address.
My patterns are available here:MyOrigDes
or in my etsy
or on Ravelry

Please note - offer does not apply to my crochet filet centerpieces- runners.

Don't miss out!

Changes

2009-08-11T15:40:00.008+08:00

A lot has happened since my last post. My peaceful life has been upset by unespected events and the necessity of important and not easy decisions. I will not go into details, what I can say is that I will have to face some unespectedly and extraordinary expenses and since the economy is not at its best here, like everywhere else, I have been trying to fight the overwhelming feeling of powerelessness working as much as I can. Because I am definitely not up to getting into challenging projects I have been working on small, simple handmade items that I plan to sell, actually some are already listed in my Etsy shop - a crocheted shawl

and two cell phone cases

and I will be adding gradually others. I have also decided that it's time to part with some things which I have cherished for a long time but have no real meaning to me at this point of my life. They are going to be listed in an Etsy vintage shop that I will be opening by the end of this week. Please check them out. I will add updates and more details soon.

Sweet Tango Lace Shawl

2009-07-22T17:43:00.008+08:00

Finally ready. The testing took longer than I expected but here it is, pattern ready and available. Why did I change its name? Simply because the original wasn't so original after all and someone had already used it.
I love the lacy transparencies of this shawl!

Two of my testers have already sent me pictures: Wendy's Sweet Tango Shawl, beautiful in white...so light and lacy, makes me think of a wedding shawl!

And Debi's in lovely pink!

Pattern can be found on Etsy and on Ravelry. It includes written instructions and full charts.

Crochet Sarubobo dolls

2009-07-06T21:37:00.015+08:00

I'm sure that most of you know what Sarubobo means, but in case you don't know here's the definition from wikipedia:

" A sarubobo is a Japanese amulet, particularly associated with the town of Takayiama. Sarubobos are red human shaped dolls, with no facial features, made in a variety of sizes. Traditionally, sarubobos are made by grandmothers for their grandchildren as dolls, and for their daughters as a charm for good marriage, good children and to ensure a well-rounded couple."
And...
"Sarubobo literally translated from the Japanese as "a baby monkey".
There are several reasons why the amulet has this name. The sarubobo is associated with three wishes- protection from bad things, a happy home, a good match, having an easy delivery on birth."

Well, I don't really believe in lucky charms, but I fell in love with Sarubobo dolls because they are so cute, and I have decided to create a crochet pattern.
They are small enough to be considered amigurumi, size varies from 4.5cm to 6.5cm.
The pattern includes a step-by-step tutorial for making a sarubobo keychain,

a sarubobo pincushion,

a sarubobo fridgie,

a flying sarubobo with ballons,

sarubobo mama and baby

I used left over yarn from shawls and I think it is a nice pattern for recycling wool and thread!
Pattern is available on my Ravelry
and on ETSY

Update on Tango Shawl

2009-06-23T22:41:00.007+08:00

This has never happened to me before, two posts in the same day... but I have just finished pinning my Tango shawl and I really needed to tell somebody :).
I will begin working on the pattern tomorrow. Ok, here's a sneak peek.

Someone is selling our free patterns!

2009-06-23T17:55:00.002+08:00

Yep, that's right! I have just found a Blogger's Blog where a person from Singapore is actually selling several other people's free patterns. So much for copyright. How sad !?!

Warm weather & satisfied customers

2009-06-11T16:35:00.006+08:00

Firstly, I want to thank Pamela, who bought one of my crochet patterns from my Etsy store and sent me photos of the finished shawl:

It took her less than a week to finish, what a fast crocheter! :)
Not like me, that with the weather getting warmer and warmer I'm experiencing the usual change-of-season symptoms which include a slight loss of energy that makes any activity slow and rather difficult. At the same time, as a sort of compensation, my brain is working overtime and I have already planned the next 2-3 months workwise. I have set a deadline for finishing the ufos (at least the ones that are not going into the frog basket), including Tango shawl, for the end of June. Then I will take a break from shawls, well maybe not completely, for something new for me. As usual I will alternate crochet hooks and knitting needles: switching between these two "modes" keeps my brain always in full activity. More in the next post.;)

Lei wedding ring afghan pattern

2009-06-02T05:29:00.004+08:00

Project details:

size: 17"x 51"- cm90 x cm130
yarn: approx. 450gr fingering weight wool
2mm crochet hook

Pattern is available on my Etsy store or as pdf download on Ravelry (I'm missrita).

Afghans in spring

2009-05-28T20:23:00.006+08:00

An afghan can take several months to finish, so it makes sense to start working on it perhaps in spring or in summer and have it ready for the following autumn-winter season. I was looking at some beautiful quilts on a magazine a couple of months ago and I decided to crochet a small blanket. I was pleasantly impressed by the double wedding ring motif in particular, which is so popular and at the same time I wanted to create a simple pattern, an alternative to the common granny square.
This is what I came up with.

Isn't it pretty? It would make a lovely gift for a wedding or for Christmas.
I count on having the pattern ready by Monday and I will be posting more photos as well as details about the project.

Next week will be a busy one. I need to get stuck into some serious spring cleaning, which includes rearranging the bir's for the warm season, then I plan to finish the Tango shawl. That shouldn't take me more than 2-3 days, unless I get distracted by a new inspiration. You never know!

Etsy? And why not!

2009-05-21T18:25:00.002+08:00

So I have made the decision. I have set up my Etsy store and sold 2 patterns in 2 days. Not bad for a start! I will be adding more patterns regularly so what can I say... visit my Etsy store! Link is on sidebar -->

:)

It's that time of the year...

2009-05-15T16:19:00.007+08:00

There isn't a corner of the garden that is not in full bloom. Like every year it happens suddenly, one morning I step outside and..wow.. what I see takes away my breath. Anyone with a sane mind would be out there smelling, observing, enjoying... and what does yours truly do? Knit! For some mysterious reason I seem to be more interested in the colour of yarn than in the colour of the gifts of mother nature. But that isn't entirely true. The deep red of my roses has given me inspiration for this shawl, which I have called "Tango".
Sneak peak...

Those who know me know that red is not one of the colours I like to wear but I had this beautiful laceweight wool in my stash that kept blinking at me.
One thing I have learned about red is that there's no way you can work with it at night, not even with all the lights on. Or maybe it's just me?
Anyway, I plan to have it ready for testing by the end of next week. Fingers crossed!

Pavone Shawlette pattern ready!

2009-05-04T17:55:00.009+08:00

This shawl is worked from the neck down in five panels, ending with a simple crochet edging.
Experience level: advanced beginner.
Size: Approx. 130cm wide at widest point, 65cm long at longest point (after blocking).
Materials needed:
Approx. 300gr DK weight yarn
4mm (US 6) circular knitting needle
3.5mm (US 5) crochet hook
Markers.

Gauge: 22sts and 30 rows = 10cm (4ins)

Pattern and details on My Original Designs

This is for Katrin, Sara, and Carla, my volunteer test knitters: thank you ladies for your precious help!! :)

Carla's Pavone

Pavone Shawlette test update

2009-04-25T17:37:00.003+08:00

My tester Sara is using Rowan RYC Silk Wool DK in purple! Isn't it fantastic? She's doing a great job. :)

Pavone Shawlette. (Or: I must be crazy!!)

2009-04-21T16:03:00.006+08:00

Two shawls in less than a month! Don't ask me why...it's just that time of the year when I go crazy and become compulsive about knitting and crocheting what is more congenial to me: shawls. After Cupid here is the Pavone Shawlette, my first attempt at a semicircular construction. It was fun to make and it only took me a couple of weeks which isn't much considering I only knit for no more than 2-3 hours a day. The pattern is ready and being tested and it will be available in about a week.

Comments, please!! :)

Cupid Shawl: FO and new pattern.

2009-04-02T20:19:00.008+08:00

And so I'm finally out of hibernation and what better way to come back than a new design? I finished this shawl in just over a week. (For the record, watching the Alien saga on dvd as well as Back to the future 1, 2,and 3!) It was fun to make but what I like about this project is that pattern is easily memorized and once you get the hang of it there's no need to keep referring to the instructions. Pattern is already available and you can find it as well as more details in My Original Designs or on Ravelry
So what is the next project? Well, first of all I will need for my hands to heal, then I'm going to start working on a knitting pattern that has been on my mind for quite a while. But...all in good time!

Back from the land downunder

2008-11-26T00:30:00.013+09:00

It's been only eleven days since I came back from Australia and I miss it already.
My father's health conditions was the main reason for my sudden decision to go, but I also didn't want to miss my niece's wedding. Once my mind was made up it was rush rush rush...tickets, visa, gifts, luggage and I was finally on my way.
Seeing my family after three long years was fantastic and I was relieved to find that my father's health was slowly improving.
The Saturday after my arrival was the day of the big event, Rachael's and Glen's wedding.
With the sweet and gorgeous bride and her mother, my sister..

with mum and dad visiting an old family friend...

with my little sis Patrizia

enjoying good food...

the unique aussie nature...

long relaxing walks..

precious moments..

and now I'm back, with a suitcase full of sweet memories, grateful to everyone for going out of their way to make me feel comfortable, special, loved and spoiled.
Thanks guys!! xxxxxx.

Hallo from Perth, Western Australia

2008-10-28T10:47:00.003+09:00

Hi everyone!
Yes, I know it's been ages since my last post but I will be back in a few weeks and I'll tell you what I've been up to lately. At the moment I'm in Australia for a 6 week holiday. Would you like to see some great photos of this fantastic country? I have a new blog, just click here, or on the button "Ritorno a Perth" on the right (under the copyright).
G'day!!

ATTENTION SERENA!

2008-08-12T16:14:00.002+08:00

I have been trying, without success, to contact Serena from Lafayette CO who purchased one of my crochet patterns a few weeks ago.
Serena, could you please contact me asap?
Thanks! :)

Et voila', Venezia lace shawl is a FO!

2008-07-08T21:46:00.004+08:00

Details and pattern here

Knitting the last 5 rows of the shawl was a real nightmare, but I'll tell you all about it in my next post because today we are having connection problems :(
See you all (hopefully) tomorrow!

About Edelweiss shawl pattern..

2008-06-28T22:50:00.009+08:00

Several ladies have contacted me asking how "hard" the Edelweiss shawl is to make.
I wouldn't recomend it to beginners, but there are no real difficulties in it.
The stitches used are basic ones: chain, single crochet, double treble crochet. I would say that if you can make a doily following a written pattern then you can crochet this shawl fairly easily.
The mesh (arches) triangle can be finished in no time and the lace border is repetitive. You only have to read the pattern one time at the beginning of each row, it is very easily memorized. And, of course, I am always here for help and info if needed. Just contact me (contact details here) and I will answer asap. That obviously goes for all my patterns.
Now for my wips:
finally finished the fronts of the striped cotton top

I still haven't made up my mind about the type of border for finishing it off.

Then there's another shawl, this time it's knitted. A couple of years ago I made the Venezia shawl:

my very first creation, designed and knitted proudly by me. What I didn't consider at the time was how much lace can "grow" when blocked, and it turned out way too large for a petite lady like me: over 2 meters wide. So it set in the wardrobe for almost two years before I made the hard decision of ripping it. Now that lovely wool has joined the stash in 4 neat balls and here is the new Venezia, smaller this time and in blue fingering weight 100% BBB wool:

one more row then I'll be casting off. I am keeping my fingers crossed. It's so hot and humid I might not have the energy to pick it up for days...Oh, and I even wrote the pattern while knitting it, which is unusual for me! ;)

Axel agrees. Don't you find him adorable?

It's hot, strong...

2008-05-31T21:50:00.009+08:00

...and it's not coffee.
What is it? It's called "scirocco" and I can't begin to tell you how unpleasant and nasty this wind from the south can be. It has been blowing for almost a week bringing sand from the north african desert. Which means windows tightly shut and postponing all outdoors activities, if possible. The temperatures were well above 30° for days. I'm so relieved it's over.
Wip:

back is done. Considering it's plain, straight forward knitting it should have been finished in 2-3 days the most. I took my time, knitting not more than 10-12 rows per night because of the heat. I simply had no energy.
The front:

I'm beginning to worry that the blue cotton won't be enough. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Changing the subject.
When I started this blog I didn't intend to make it just a knitting blog. I'm sure the most curious of my dear readers has asked her/himself what "brushes" have to do with needles and yarn since all I write about concernes mainly the latter, although in the past there have been one or two digressions and I have written about glass painting. A big part of this blog was meant to concern painting.
I can't tell the reasons that have kept me from sharing my feelings about art in general and painting in particular with my readers. Possibly it's because I doubt they would be interested, or perhaps the reason is that it is something I feel too strongly about and I just haven't been ready to express it in words.
My love for colours has been in me since I was a child, but it was at university when I was studying for my History of Art exam that it became extremely strong. I remember spending long hours in the uni library going through thick and heavy art books, consulting huge albums, learning as much as I could about my big love: the French Impressionism.
The natural consequence had to be an attept to steal the techniques, which meant partially copying some of those paintings from books. Here are some examples of my studies:

I will post more photos of my paintings in the future and I plan to have a section dedicated to them and to the Impressionism.
Are you interested? Leave a comment. I would love to know what you think!

Edelweiss, a mountain flower.

2008-05-21T17:18:00.011+08:00

Remember the famous movie of the '60 "The sound of music"?
Remember Julie Andrews singing and dancing on the Austrian alps, the breathtaking view of those high mountains.....what memories!
I simply adore those places.
These are the lyrics of the song:
"Edelweiss, edelweiss, every morning you greet me.

Small and white,
Clean and bright,
You look happy to meet me.
Blossom of snow
May you bloom and grow,
Bloom and grow forever.
Edelweiss, edelweiss, bless my homeland forever

Small and white,

Clean and bright,
You look happy to meet me.
Blossom of snow
May you bloom and grow,
Bloom and grow forever.
Edelweiss, edelweiss, bless my homeland forever"

Touching!

"Edelweiss" is the name of a flower that grows on the Alps. It is protected because it's becoming more and more rare. In the german language "edel" means "noble" and "weiss" means "white". Its stunning beauty has inspired me in designing a shawl.

Modesty apart, I find it is my best creation so far.

As for knitting progress on my top, having reconsidered the length I had to rip about 35 rows (ouch!!) because I started the decreases for the waist after 15cm, way too high. Thanks to my little sis' advice (she's a lot smarter than me!!) it's looking much better. Details on progress on my next post.

A couple more glimpses of our garden for those of you who appreciate nature.

Crochet tour-de-force

2008-05-18T00:00:00.010+08:00

Finished!

And blocking nicely on the dining room table.
A real tour the force. A few more corrections to the pattern and that will be ready too. Details on Ravelry soon. (btw, my username is missrita).

The other night I started this cotton top. Leftover thread, the blue is new and the rest recycled but in excellent condition. I don't usually go much for stripes but this combination isn't too bad and it couldn't be helped since I only have a 50gr ball of blue.

After months without knitting, can you believe I had to do the provisional cast on twice because I couldn't remember how?
Goodness! I'm keeping it simple, just 1/1 ribs and it's probably going to be open at the front although I still have to decide about sleeves...or straps.

Today I would like to leave you with some photos of our garden which is beginning to come to life again. Thank you mother nature for your generosity!

Have a great weekend everyone!

A quick update.

2008-05-02T16:05:00.010+08:00

Like I said in my previous post, more toys but this time they are knit..

..the pattern will be ready in one or two days.
Progress on Pink and Lacey's pattern:

so far so good. Nearly finished the mesh triangle which is obviously the easy part. We'll see about the lace border which I count to start possibly before the weekend.

Seems like we're heading for an early summer here in southern Italy. Days are warming up considerably and the garden....what can I say? It's glorious.

Iris,

daisies,

and you should see the roses! They are absolutely fantastic. I will take shots this weekend and post the photos on Monday.
See you all then!

What's next?

2008-04-28T15:11:00.009+08:00

Remember my Pink and lacey summer shawl?

I improvised as I went on.
Problem: I want to write a pattern for it.
Solution: make another shawl and write the pattern.
Pros: that gives me the possibility of testing the pattern myself.
Cons: I doubt that I can finish it in less than 8-10 days.
So this is my next goal. The yarn I have chosen is 100% laceweight wool but this time in a very pale aqua, almost white. The reason is that I see it as a lovely spring wedding shawl. Well it's an idea and there's something else too but I'm not revealing anymore for the time being, since it's only something i have been visualizing in my mind and I'm not sure it can be accomplished as a project.
In the past three weeks i have "wasted" time making toys....duckies..

frogs..

and a couple more will be ready by the end of the week.
Why did I say "wasting time"? Only because there are no children around to play with these cute toys. Pity!
Changing the subject, I don't think I have mentioned the fact that i consider myself privileged everytime i look out of a window or step outside in my garden. And the reason is this:

and as the weather gets warmer that blue sea becomes more and more inviting.
It even makes me want to grab brushes and colours and start painting, something that lately hasn't been on my mind much. But that's another story. My priorities are others at the moment, firstly spring cleaning. Not looking forward to that but someone has to do it and, guess who will? ;)

Little aliens

2008-04-09T04:27:00.003+08:00

When I woke up this morning I couldn't have imagined that this would not have been an ordinary day. But when i looked outside I realized something was wrong...terribly wrong.
THEY were everywhere!
Hiding in the weeds..

trying to mimetic among the lemons..

under the plants...

WHAT?...on the computer...

...and...making friends with Grumpy the dwarf!

Oh, that's enough....I'd better run to separate those two before they get into some mischief...and FAST!!

Goals, not resolutions.

2008-03-30T06:02:00.000+08:00

Let's face it, making resolutions is such a waste of time. Hand up all those who haven't thought about half a dozen things, the so called " new year resolutions", on new years day.
If you're like me you would have made plans like:
lose 4-5 pounds;
don't buy any wool until you use up at least half of your stash yarn;
remember to start writing patterns when you start the project, not when you have almost finished it;
remember to update blog at least twice a week;
etc. etc....
And if you're like me, you would have kept on eating, started new projects forgetting to write patterns, postponed updating your blog until....tomorrow!
Well as I said, I don't believe in resolutions so this year I'm trying a different approach that seems to be working quite well: I'm concentrating on goals, weekly or monthly goals, it depends, and considering the amount of work I have been doing in the past couple of months chances are that this will be a productive year.
I'm also concentrating and trying hard to remove those imaginary limits that too often create a barrier between what I wish to do and what I'm able to accomplish.
Does it makes sense? It does to me.
My list of goals is quite a long one but I'm taking it easy because deadlines make me nervous. I think that about a dozen crochet schemes and writing down a complicated pattern is a good start, yes I am satisfied.
What's next? I have to check my list....I'll tell you later!

Meanwhile I shall leave you with a project and the pattern I wrote for it. It's actually a diagram with symbols and simple instructions.
Here's the project, I've called it Squares and fans cushion:

and here you will find the scheme and instructions.
I love the versatility of this pattern. Don't you think it's perfect for a centerpiece, a tablecloth, or even a baby blanket? Come on ladies...use your fantasy!

New year, old life.

2008-02-28T22:12:00.000+09:00

Maybe I should try to justify my long absence from my affectionate readers and apologise. I will not. The reason is simple: I am sure you will all understand how easy it is to get lost in the maze of everyday life which, in it's semplicity, in some occasions can become a real jungle. We have all been there....right?
So I shall carry on as nothing happened.
Where was I ? Oh yes. Complaining about not getting the calendars. Well they finally arrived and they are great.
No, I haven't started working on my cardi yet, but I plan to. And, having had plenty of time to reflect and organize my work, I can assure you I haven't been completely idle and very soon there will be some nice surprises (at least I hope they will be nice!). But, all in good time. The main thing is that I'm back, stronger, determined not to waste one more day of my life because life is much too precious and too short.
I will leave you with a couple of photos.
Roses in February:

And, wouldn't you just LOVE to make these little beauties for the baby of the house??

Calendars and big decisions

2007-11-15T22:09:00.001+09:00

I think I have already mentioned that the patterns I submitted to the contest for the 2007 calendar (knit and crochet) were both published. I'm just wondering, has anyone recieved the calendars yet? Well, the end of the year is getting closer. Could they have lost my address??
The knitting pattern I submitted is a little girl's summer top:

and the crochet one is a sewing caddy:

it's perfect for using scraps and leftovers.

Last week while I was going through my usual old magazines I suddenly got the urge to make a couple of crochet squares

I like them both so much that I wouldn't know which one to choose if I decided to make something. Not that I plan to, but it's a possibility.
At the moment I'd be more inclined to making a sweater for myself. Haven't made one in years and I have a delicious alpaca blend I want to use asap. Problem: I only have 200gr white, and 150gr beige so it's going to be a 3 colour sweater. I don't mind, but can't make up my mind...
white-beige-green.....

or white-beige-brown?

Goodies from downunder!

2007-10-23T20:07:00.000+08:00

Yes all the way from Perth W.A., bringing a ray of sunshine on a gloomy rainy and very cold day. So what do we have here?
Arisaig for me!!

It's gorgeous.
And....an assortment of needles. How I needed those. Dpns, circulars, they are not easy to find here. Can you believe it?

Yarn!

It's Patons alpaca blend in white and light coffee. I already have a few ideas for putting these to good use. The possibilities are endless!

And..

The blue is Cashmilon....could it be a Cashmere/nylon blend? The four red balls are aussie Clackheaton 5 ply pure wool, and finally this lonely ball of Carnival 8 ply 100% wool.

A little sweetness is always welcome..

Last but not least craft magazines and an enchanting little book about roses. A guide to growing and using roses including recipes, paintings and poems. I will post a few of them soon.

Thanks little sis! ;)

I'm a Raveler.

2007-10-10T20:00:00.000+08:00

Yes I finally got invited. And what a better moment than this since I have been lacking motivation and I'm in great need of anything that will make me pick up a hook or a pair of needles. I usually associate the way I feel to the change of season. Well it's true, and considering I haven't been feeling 100%...you could say that I have a good excuse for not doing anything creative in the past couple of months. Not that I lack ideas, that's not the problem.
Going through some magazines from the 80/90's reminded me of a rather productive season that included knitting, crocheting, as well as some other crafts.
Obviously I wouldn't be caught dead wearing some of these things today, but you know what fashion is like...they were trendy and cool at the time.

The original ...

...and the one I made. It's exactly the same. Here I'm showing a close up of the embroidered part.

I used recycled yarn for this vest. The pattern looks like intarsia, but it's actually embroidered. I find it very pretty.
Next, this gorgeous cardi.

The one in the magazine has flowers on the sleeves and on the back as well as the front. A bit too "busy" for my taste so I "decorated" only the front of the cardi . Overall it's a faithful reproduction of the pattern, including the colour of the wool which is a lovely cream 100% wool from Lana Gatto.

This one I find rather unusual.

Here I didn't make the sweater, I used an Angora-Mohair I had sitting in my wardrobe.
The embroidery technique is quite unusual. It's worked by wrapping the yarn around a pencil and then stitched on the sweater to form a flower pattern. Has anyone come across this technique?
Again here I preferred a partial reproduction of the flower motif which starts on the shoulders and runs along the sleeves.

Wouldn't it be great if these things became trendy again?

Now I know.

2007-09-25T19:59:00.000+08:00

I'm feeling better. Being hyperactive most of the time I don't feel comfortable having to just sit and rest when there's so much work to be done around and outside the house. Now in particular, since the long dry and extremely hot weather seems to be finally over.
Suddenly I feel the urge to go out and walk around our property attracted by the the colours of a summer that refuses to give space to any other season.

Watch the autumn and winter fruits change their colour as they ripen.
Pears and persimmons,

grapefruits,apples,

the last prickly pears,

and the last tomatoes.

The conclusion of a vital cycle and the beginning of a new one.
And finally today the long desired rain.

My appointment with dermatologist went well. I'm still on antivirals and injections ( so painful!) and the convalescence will be long but I'll survive. ;)

Onto yarn related subjects.
Why do I find it so hard to throw away scraps? Is there a name for this syndrome?

I realize the possibilities are endless, I could make a big "magic ball", or maybe some domino squares, or some colourful granny squares. Or , better still, some cute little knitted or crocheted animals....any suggestions?

If only I had known.

2007-09-19T19:42:00.000+08:00

Here I was, finally out of my summer apathy and ready to make the most of my renewed creativeness. First of all I planned to reorganize the house for the cold season which means mostly tidying up the wardrobes and the WIR in the main bedroom. Then I planned to make a tidy and comprehensive annotation of stash yarn and possible projects for each and every different type of wool, especially since I got this lovely lace weight just a few weeks ago on clearance: 50% of normal price: ( how could I resist?)

It seems that my plans will have to be postponed for the time being, but for as little as possible, because of a small inconvenience that suddenly appeared without warning:

I know what you must be thinking....YUK! That's exactly how I feel too. It's Herpes Zoster (shingles) on one of my legs. It's itchy, painful and uncomfortable. And I didn't even know such a thing existed until I decided to see a dermatologist for what I though were.....hear this.....mosquito bites!!
The man took but a glance at the red patch and started writing on his prescription pad with a concerned look on his face.
"You should have come here sooner.",he stated.
Sooner??, I thought.
" I assumed it was some kind of insect bite.", I answered.
" It's Herpes Zoster." he replied with a severe look.
"Oh, I had no idea!", I said, feeling like a real idiot.
".....mmmmm....", was his comment, and then went on for about twenty minutes explaining how the virus is the same that causes chicken-pox, that the rash will probably extend to a large part of my thigh and that the pain I was feeling was nothing compared to the Postherpetic Neuralgia that can last for many months, as the virus attacs the nerves.
".....mmmmmm.....", was MY comment!
Well, I walked out with a tablets-injections-ointment prescription, an appointment for next week, and a big headache.
So here I am now, paifully limping around the house feeling miserable and frustrated.
C'est la vie.....!

-to be continued..-

About Ravelry...

2007-09-12T19:40:00.000+08:00

Is there anyone out there who is not waiting impatiently for the Ravelry invite?
I have just checked out my position on the long long list. I am n. 12865 (but....who's counting?!?). My little sister got her invite days ago and this has given me the opportunity to lurk around the Ravelry community. What a great place! In the meantime I've decided to concentrate on my WIPs as well as on my long neglected UFOs, giving priority to the former.

On the hook:

this is going to make all the ladies who like my "Pink and lacy summer shawl" happy. I have decided to write a pattern for it and the easiest way for me to do it without risks of silly errors is to crochet another one. I normally wouldn't make more than one shawl per pattern unless I wanted to give it away as a gift but in this case I have to make an exception. Wish me luck!

On the needles:

ahh....this is my secret project for this month (or next....who knows...) and I will not talk about it until I have decided what to do with it. My hope is to submit it somewhere and as you can see I have taken out paper and pencil. This is all I can tell you about it at this stage.
This is it for today. I don't want to be caught unprepared in case my Ravelry invite arrives so..
back to work!

This or that?

2007-09-06T19:37:00.000+08:00

I'm in the middle of a dilemma. This is how it all started. Several weeks ago I was unpleasantly surprised discovering that I could not connect to my blog anymore. I tried and tried for days without any luck. Needless to say I was puzzled at first, then annoyed, finally I was plain angry. I'm talking about N&B, my first blog.The solution seemed inevitable: start a new blog somewhere else ,and I decided to sign up on Blogger. Since then I have been slowly transferring my old posts, including the photos (but not the comments because I'm not sure if that can be done), and I have copied and pasted almost 50% of all the posts....hard work!! Well, a few days ago my son talked me into changing provider for a more convenient and reliable one. I did, and guess what happened? I now can connect to my old blog without any problems whatsoever. Amazing. Now this is my dilemma: what do I do with two blogs ? I have this idea....keep them both. Yes, one for the "Needles", in other words knit, crochet, embroidery and anything related to those, and the other for the "Brushes" ( painting, glass decorating, etc...). This obviously means reorganizing archieves, links, and so on, but I believe it will be worth the trouble in the end. Oh well, life is never easy , right?

Errata on pattern.

2007-09-03T19:26:00.000+08:00

Well , I knew it would happen.
My very first free crochet pattern had an error on the first row.
I have corrected it already. If you have printed the pattern this is how Row1 should read:

ROW 1:
dc in the fifth ch from hook, dc in the next ch, (=3dc)
ch 3, skp 3 ch, dc in the next 3 ch of f.c., ( 3 times),
* ch 7, skp 7 ch of f.c., dc in the next 3 ch, ch 7,
skp 7 ch of f.c.,dc in the next 3 ch of f.c.,
ch 3, skp 3 ch of f.c.,dc in the nxt 3 ch of f.c., ( 3 times)*
Repeat from * to * 4 more times.
Turn work.

A friend from Crochetville was nice enough to let me know. Thank you Sofia!

Here's the recipe I promised!

2007-09-01T19:23:00.000+08:00

Zucchini quiche.

Ingredients:

zucchini 600 gr.
emmenthal cheese (or your favourite semi-mature cheese) 180 gr.
s.r. flour 100 gr.
cream 200 ml.
milk 5 tbsp.
eggs 3 large
salt
pepper
a good pinch of your favourite herb.

Grate the zucchini and the cheese.
Beat the eggs with the milk, salt, pepper and herb. ( I used fresh parsley)
Add the cream to the egg mixture.
Add the cheese and the flour to the zucchini in a large bowl, add egg mixture and mix with a spoon very well. Add a little more milk if it looks too dry.
Pour in a greased 11-12 in. (27-30 cm.) dish and bake in moderate oven for 45-55 min.
Serves 4-5

It's official.

2007-08-31T19:20:00.000+08:00

I have officially moved from Clearblogs. It couldn't be helped.
I will gradually import all my old posts. The only way to do it is copying and pasting so it's going to take me a few weeks. In the meantime, if you're interested, just clik on the link to vision my old posts....and, well, I love comments so go on.....take a minute to write a few words!
Ciao.

Progress on shawl.

2007-07-28T19:14:00.000+08:00

I like the way it's turning out. Light and lacy, that's how I like my shawls. I still have about 15cms. to crochet and I estimate it will take me at least 4-5 days before it will be ready to be washed and blocked, but then, what's the hurry?.

Made this swatch for a possible future project:

Pretty, don't you agree?

And since we all have to eat something.....

....this zucchini quiche is perfect for a light summer dinner.
I will write the recipe asap for you!
As far as the calender is concerned, well I had a nice surprise discovering that both the patterns I submitted have been published on the Pattern-a-day calenders, crochet and knit. Considering they are the first patterns I have ever submitted, well I am very pleased. It has done wonders for my self-confidence as a designer!

Rhetoric and calendars.

2007-07-27T18:59:00.000+08:00

Are seasons really changing? There must be some truth in this statement, in my opinion, or we wouldn't have had temperatures ranging from 40° to 43° for over a week. Well above the average summer temperatures here in Italy. And on top of this , fires. If you have ever had the experience, you'll know what I'm talking about, looking outside and seeing fires. The other night we had four of them at the same time, and all of them not more than 2 km. away from our home. Enough to make your nerves wreck.

The day after firemen were still working.

It makes me feel sad and angry at the same time. Sad, when I think of how quickly all those olives trees and oaks became nothing but smoke and ashes, what mother nature created in years, centuries, all gone. And angry, very angry. I visualize someone lurking not far way after lighting that match, watching the firemen risk their lives to stop the hell he created. Watching and grinning. Oh, to wipe that grin off that ugly face!! How I wish I could.

Thank you.

2007-07-15T18:58:00.000+08:00

I want to thank all the ladies from the forums for the nice comments about my latest FO. It feels so good to know that so many of you out there in the world appreciate my work. Let me tell you what it's like here in Italy. Most of the ladies I know have no interest whatsoever in yarn, needles, hooks. Those who know how to knit (or crochet) seem to have no time for it. If you want my honest opinion they are just too lazy.
Regardless of the reasons for which our favourite hobby is considered out of fashion and for "old ladies", well, I have no one to share my passion with and this makes your interest in my works even more precious to me.
Some of you have asked if I have written a pattern for my shawl. Shame on me, I haven't. The funny thing is that each time I come up with a new idea I get paper and pen and start writing. Then I simply forget to. When it comes to crochet patterns the situation is even more complicated as I am not very familiar with the terms and the abbreviations in english. This doesn't exclude I will give it a go especially because a friend from Crochetville has kindly offered to test my patterns. Thank you Nikki!
This past week hasn't been easy, with my little sister having carpal tunnel surgery last Wednesday and my dad having surgery last Thursday. Knowing that Patrizia is feeling much better and dad is slowly recovering has eased the tension and I have started another project:

I will call it "Simply diamonds shawl" and it's a rectangular one. The stitch is quite simple and it's onother of my mother stitches I have "inherited" from her.
I am using the same type of wool I used for the Pink summer shawl. It's a nice green and the colour you see in the photo has nothing to do with the actual shade. I count to take a more decent shot next time so stay tuned!

Pink and lacey summer shawl.

2007-07-07T18:56:00.000+08:00

Here we go again. I can't stop making shawls. Is there a cure for this?

Looking back.

2007-06-29T18:55:00.000+08:00

As a child seeing my mother knit was the most normal thing in the world to me. She was always either cooking or knitting, and excelled in both . She was always teaching or giving advice about patterns and stitches to friends, neighbours, relatives. The knitting needles must have seemed to me extensions of her arms. I don't remember having worn as a child a sweater or a cardigan that wasn't handmade by her. Her eyes lit and she smiled timidly at the nice comments that other ladies made about how pretty and elegant my sisters and I always were.
Take a look at this:

I must have been not more than three years old. Doesn't this cardigan look machine knitted? Well, I have never seen anything made by her that wasn't a masterpiece and the thing that amazes me most is that she never followed patterns or written instructions.
Believe it or not, I still keep that little beauty she made for me over fourty years ago!
Here it is:

Being so old and having been washed many many times it has obviously lost a little of its original shape and perfection but it is still in extremely good conditions.
In spite of the yellowish light and the poor quality of the photos my mother skill is quite visible. It is made with the thinnest pure wool. The stitches are very small. I would say she must have used 1.5mm or 2mm needles.
I simply love this little cardigan and I dream of making one exactly the same one day, maybe, who knows....for a grandchild!
Meanwhile I'll keep on making shawls.
The pink crochet one needs just one more round. I can't wait to get it off my hands!
Look at what I fished out of my knitting basket the other day:

it's just one of the numerous ufos that I have carefully hidden around the house trying to forget they exist. But they mercilessly appear when I least expect them to, seeking revenge! I can't blame them. They seem to say: "Shame on you, Rita! How could you do this? What ever happened to all the loving attention you dedicated us for days, weeks.....?"
Oh well. Mea culpa. I guess I will have to make amends. Yes, how right you are, Red Venice Shawl! I humbly apologize and yes, I will devote my best attention to you and your fellow ufos as from next week.
It's a promise.

Damn hot!

2007-06-27T18:49:00.000+08:00

43°C yesterday and we're heading for about the same temperature today too. I can cope with in the daytime but not at night. I have hardly slept at all in the past 3 nights. Lack of sleep has a strong effect on me, body and spirit. I feel like a walking zombie ( and look like one too!) as I move around the place doing a little cleaning and tidying up, just the necessary to prevent having to call the cleaning service (haha) by the end of the week. I try to keep our meals as simple as possible but I still end up cooking for about and hour twice a day. I can live on fruit for weeks, but the boys need at least one proper meal a day. Why haven't we got air conditioning? Well, up here it's normally well ventilated and even the hottest summer days are mitigated by a pleasant breeze, but I'm seriously thinking we will need air conditioning at least in the bedrooms if this kind of weather persists.
The pink crochet shawl is growing very slowly, not more than one round per day and, believe me, it takes all of my willpower to achieve such a small result!
Three more rounds to finish the pattern then maybe another two for finishing it off nicely, that makes...five days?? Too long. I'll try hard to have it washed and pinned before the weekend, weather permitting.

5 weeks.

2007-06-15T18:46:00.000+08:00

Has it really been five weeks since I last blogged?
My emotional state seems to have influenced my perception of time.
The events of the past weeks have had a negative impact on many aspects of my everyday life, including my enthusiasm for this blog. Whenever I'm depressed or worried I become clumsy and accident prone. I don't think I have ever broken so many things before, glasses, plates....they just fall out of my hands. And I accidently knocked down of my favourite table lamps while vacuuming the other day.
I will not bore you with details. I am a reserved person and , anyway, who wants to hear someone else's whinings and complaints about how much it hurts to be slapped across the face by life?
Everyone has to face problems, right?
Needless to say there has been very little knitting progress on my current projects. Ufos piling up in my hobbies room. I just can't seem to concentrate on anything.
A few days ago I picked up a crochet hook and a ball of yarn and started crocheting a simple mesh shawl. My idea is to make a plain triangle and add some kind of pretty edging. I have some swatches I like and one in particular looks appropriate.

This is it for the time being.
Oh, I have a couple of nice summer recipes for everyone to enjoy. Will post them very soon. I promise.

Recipe: Couscous and meatballs.

2007-05-13T05:30:00.000+08:00

Ingredients:

For 4/5 servings you will need:
Couscous
2 medium zucchini
2 large carrots
1 small onion
2 medium capsicums
celery
parsley
4 tblsps pure olive oil
2 tsps curry powder
salt
pepper.

For the meatballs:

400 gr. very lean beef or veal mince
1 large egg ( or 2 small ones)
5 tblsps mature cheese, grated
2 heaped tblsps fine dry breadcrumbs
finely chopped parsley
pinch salt
pepper
few tblsps milk
extra oil for frying.

Heat the olive oil in a large casserole, add the chopped carrots, capsicums, onion, celery, parsley, curry powder and a little salt. Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes stirring often. Meanwhile prepare the meatballs: mix all the ingredients together adding a little milk if mixture is too dry. Roll into round balls of about 1in diameter. Heat extra oil in a frying pan and seal meatballs quickly on medium-high flame till they change colour. Do not brown. Drain on kitchen paper and add them and the chopped zucchini to the casserole. Cook on low flame for about 30 minutes.
You might find that there isn't enough liquid at this stage. Add a little water, but remember that the zucchini will release a lot of liquid when they are cooked. For this reason I usually remove the lid after about 20 minutes and let the liquid in excess evaporate.
Prepare the couscous following the instructions on the packet and top with the vegetable-meatballs mixture.
Here's the dish ready to be enjoyed!

Sweet Memories shawl:

2007-05-12T18:44:00.000+08:00

Like all chronic sentimentals I cherish all things and objects which remind me of special moments of the past, my childhood and adolescence in particular.
A few years ago I noticed that a crochet sweater made by my mother in the early
70's for me had been ruined by moths. I won't talk about the disappointment, but after a few days past regretting not having taken better precautions against the nasty horrible insects I decided I could give new life to that lovely creamy white lace weight wool by recycling it, so I ripped the sweater but not before making a swatch of that pretty stitch my mother used for it.
The wool is still in my stash waiting to be turned into some pretty top or something else, but I was eager to use the stitch and so I thought.....why not a shawl? This is what I came up with and I'm quite happy with the result.

Changing the subject, today is my dad's 79th birthday.
Auguri papa'! Ti voglio tanto bene.

Recipe: Orecchiette Primavera.

2007-05-03T18:37:00.000+08:00

Just as I promised here's the recipe for Orecchiette Primavera.
For 4-5 servings you will need:

400gr. pasta (orecchiette or some other type)
1 tbsp finely chopped onion (possibly spring onion)
3/4 cup frozen baby peas
3/4 cup potatoes in small dices
1/4 cup chopped Parma ham ( bacon or plain ham will do)
1 tblsp butter
2 tbsps olive oil
200 ml cream
2-3 tbsps grated parmesan cheese ( or any tasty mature cheese)
parsley
salt
pepper

Melt butter in a casserole, add oil, peas, potatoes and saute' gently adding a little water when needed
add salt ( use little salt because the ham and the parmesan cheese will add a lot of sapidity to the sauce) and pepper and continue cooking till the vegetables are just tender.
Add the parsley and the ham.
Cook for further 2 minutes, add the cream ( here in Italy we use a very thick cream for this type of recipe which has the consistency of cream cheese)
fold the cream with the rest of the ingredients and turn off the flame.
Cook the pasta in penty of water and a little salt " al dente" and drain well. I have used orecchiette but other types are just as good , such as pennette.
Put the casserole back on the stove on a low flame, add the pasta and the parmesan cheese
mix everything
serve hot.
This dish is delicious and it can be made in less than 30 minutes! Try it and let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Too many holidays?

2007-05-01T18:32:00.000+08:00

Why haven't I blogged much lately? Good question. I guess it happens even to the most addicted blogger to have a moment of "defiance", a time when the events of everyday life seem too banal to share with anyone else except the people who are closer to us.
I have mentioned before that here in Italy spring gives the start to a sequence of local festivities which punctually close with fireworks. Yesterday it was St. George's day here. Although I didn't go out to see the celebrations I did enjoy the fireworks since they were clearly visible from here.

My dogs were simply terrified by the noise, poor babies!
Not much to report on the knitting front. I've been mainly swatching for a couple of projects I have in mind with some success but being the usual perfectionist, I am obviously not satisfied and I plan to swatch, swatch, swatch till I find what I'm looking for. Assuming that what I'm looking for exists!
So how have I been filling the long and warm spring days we are experiencing then? Well, cooking!
Take a look:

these are called "arancine", which means small oranges, because those are what they resemble. They are made with rice and the mouth watering filling is meat, cheese, peas, and tomato sauce.

I have called this dish "Orecchiette primavera". Orecchiette is a type of pasta which can be found dry or fresh and is typical of a region called Puglia. They can be cooked in many ways and I made up a delicious sauce which I will post soon for everyone to enjoy!
And finally I have been trying my new bread machine:
sultana bread....

and...

pizza bread! (my recipe).

And last but not least....cannoli!!

well, I didn't make these actually although the ones I occasionally make myself are just as good.
Imagine a crisp but tender pastry with a light aroma of cinnamon....a melt-in- the-mouth filling made with the freshest ricotta cheese with a hint of lemon and tiny bits of rich dark chocolate...and finally a sprinkle of icing sugar....heaven!!!!!
If anyone is interested in trying out my "orecchiette primavera", stay tuned as I will be posting a recipe in the next few days.

The perfect day.

2007-04-15T18:31:00.000+08:00

This is how it started...

....ever seen anything more beautiful?
It happened a couple of days ago. My son decided to take a day off work to get some things he needed and he asked me to join him, and I gladly said yes. On the way back from Barcellona, 30 minutes away from here, we decided to stop at Portorosa to take some photos and visit the new Hilton hotel.

We took a long walk through the canals....

it was such a warm day

and finally a refreshing ice cream in one of the many restaurants of the locality.

Here in Sicily Easter officially gives the start to a long season of local festivities, usually religious, which last two or three days and end with fireworks. So from now on almost every weekend at around midnight the sky will become alive with coloured sparks above at least one of the towns which are visible from up here.

The Easter weekend passed very quickly. After a sizzling bbq....

and the sweets of the tradition...

it's time for spring cleaning, put away the winter clothes and reorganize the wardrobes. This is going to be my mission for this coming week and I can't say I'm looking forward to it, but if I don't do it who will??

Hallo!

2007-04-06T18:29:00.000+08:00

And happy Easter everyone!
Have a great weekend with your loved ones.

Hailstorm.

2007-03-30T18:27:00.000+08:00

I certainly didn't expect to find this when I looked out my window the other morning:

...around the trees...

...on my favourite cicas.
Unusual for this time of year, but life goes on.
And my brain is working overtime again. What I have been thinking about is another blog or, better still, a site where I can make a proper gallery of my works, including my paintings, a recipe section, my ideas on recycling, etc..

Knitting news:
1) the beige shawl is currently resting inside the knitting basket. Why? Well I seem to have lost interest in that project but I am not planning to frog it (yet).
2) the crochet stole is almost finished. Which means I have about 10cm to go before working out some kind of edging. I had decided to leave it without but it turned out slightly narrower than I though.
3) I am trying to figure out a way of knitting a rectangular shawl on the bias. Now, what I want is not a diagonal shape (as in Clapotis, for instance), but a 90° angle on each corner of the shawl. In other words a perfect rectangle. I have an idea which to me seems right and it should work, at least in theory. Any suggestions?

Coffe anyone?

2007-03-20T19:25:00.000+09:00

I need a break.

And what is a break without a hot and strong cup of coffee?
Yes, caffeine is my drug and I can't live without it.

Progress on the beige shawl

and on the crochet stole I have decided to make with the blue laceweight wool I bought recently

I have estimated I will need approximately 5 balls (250gr.) of yarn for this project. There's an amazing difference between the amount of yarn it takes to make a crochet garment and the amount it takes to knit one. I wouldn't need more than 2- 2 1/2 balls to knit a stole of the same measure, but crocheting gives me the advantage of not having to follow a written pattern. I might have said this before, but it's impossible for me to knit anything other than simple ribbing at night when I'm relaxing in front of my favourite tv program.
Therefore I have been working on the beige shawl in the afternoon. No. I have been trying to work on my beige shawl in the afternoon. Which means knitting a row or two in between chores and at the same time planning my next project.
Oh yes. If you came close enough to my head you would hear a low buzzing sound coming out of my ears. No, I'm not an alien....it's simply my brain working overtime. PLEASE give me a 26 hour day! Is it too much to ask for? Just two extra hours would make me a happy woman. I need time for myself, to make my ideas and projects become reality....and I don't mean just for knitting! I have other passions, painting, writing (in italian of course), and I would like to experience some kind of lace making technique. Not to mention joining a gym.
Dreams, dreams.....

Spring flowers.

2007-03-09T20:24:00.000+09:00

Almond...

Acacia......

Moonlight on the gulf...

So romantic!!

This is not so romantic...

It's my favourite lace weight wool and I have just discovered it's out of production!
I was so disappointed when the lady at the yarn store told me that I grabbed as much of it as I could...18 balls. I know there's other brands, but I have worked with this one and I find it perfect for lacy shawls. It's the one I used for the Kiri and the Fircone shawls (which btw is still a ufo!)

I have plans for these 18 balls.
I am already working on a project using the blue wool but I won't say what it is just in case I change my mind. You know the saying "it's a woman's prerogative to change her mind"? It fits me perfectly. So it will be a surprise.
This is on the needles at the moment

obviously another shawl (what, another one??)
What can I do, I just can't stop making them.

Recipe: Orecchiette Primavera.

2007-03-06T07:22:00.000+09:00

Back with a FO.

2007-02-26T20:22:00.000+09:00

Just under 1000 meters of a lovely wool/alpaca blend ( m. 150 x 50 gr.) for this crocheted shawl:

I love this stitch and I didn't follow a pattern for the shawl, I just started and kept crocheting until I was happy with the size. I wasn't too sure about the edging but at the end I decided that the lace was rich enough and a round of chain would have been enough. Yes, I'm quite happy with the result.
As far as the knitted shawl is concerned there's been little progress. I'm not giving myself a deadline but I hope to finish it by the middle of March, but then again what's the hurry?

Another weekend.

2007-02-16T20:21:00.000+09:00

Earlier today I was pleasantly surprised by finding links to my blog and my free patterns on Yarn and thread links. Thank you Scrunchyy!
The crochet shawl is almost completed but I still have to figure out how to finish it off, I mean what type of edging to add to it. I can't make up my mind, but it will be something very simple.
As far as the knitted shawl is concerned, I have made very little progress, in other words no pictures to post yet.
How about some cross stitch instead?
These will be framed one day:

Tablecloths.
Crochet and linen squares with cross stitch flowers:

Close up:

Fruit and butterflies on Aida cloth:

And that's not all folks.

Metereopatic.

2007-02-13T20:19:00.000+09:00

meteoropathy (from Greek meteora, celestial phenomena, and pathos, feeling, pain, suffering): a disorder, or physical condition, or symptom due to climate or conditions of weather such as humidity, temperature or pressure.

This definition couldn't be more appropriate for me.
Two days of non-stop rain and the very strong wind from the north that we are experiencing have been putting my nerves to a severe trial.
Lack of concentration is the thing that bothers me most. Feeling sleepy and apathic, weak and headachy? Join the club!
In spite of that I have tried hard to keep myself busy:

I've been working at this shawl mostly at night. Not having a scheme to follow makes it easy to crochet and watch some nice movie at the same time.
The small piece of knitting on the corner at the top is another shawl. The picture is a bit blurry but I will take a close up just as soon as I have knitted enough to show the actual pattern. Normally I don't like having more that one project going at the same time but as I have stated many times before I just cannot concentrate on anything other than plain knitting at night. So I have found this solution and I'm quite satisfied. For the time being anyway.

Another shawl.

2007-02-05T20:17:00.000+09:00

Is it spring already?
Well, something is definately happening out there. As a matter of fact a lot of the plants in our garden have never stopped flowering. Amazing!! Our almond trees have beautiful sweet smelling white flowers, the acacia tree with its bright yellow inflorescence reminds me of a soft cloud, coloured and fragrant, a joy for the eye.
And me...well I'm in a creative mood.
After a period of mental lethargy I am beginning to make order in that messy confusion of ideas that has been lurking in my head since the beginning of this year.
The knit and crochet patterns for the calendar submissions had all my concentration for weeks. Now that's out of the way and I'm concretely planning a couple of projects. First of all a crochet shawl. This is the swatch I made last night:

Yes it is pretty! I reproduced part of a round doily that my mother had given me years ago. The wool I plan to use is the on the right. It is actually lighter that it looks in the picture, a beautiful shade of pink. I have 150 grams, approx. 675 meters. I really hope it will be enough.
I have also made a swatch for a knitted shawl, but I'm not 100% sure I like it. I'll post a photo of it once I have made up my mind about it. Give me a few more days!

More crochet.

2007-02-01T20:14:00.000+09:00

I have received emails from ladies asking for clearer pictures of a little doll I made ages ago. Here are a couple of closeups:

And for the ladies who enjoy crochet....

At the beginning of last year I decided to make a shawl for my little sister who had been so nice to make a sweater for me. She's a clever knitter but she doesn't crochet much. Hence the decision of making this:

This particular stitch is very pretty and it gives a warm and soft fabric. The shawl required 450 gr. of wool (226 meters per 50 gr. ball).

A sweater for me.

2007-01-30T20:12:00.000+09:00

About a year ago, a few days before Christmas I received this little beauty from my sister.

It's soft, warm, and it fits perfectly.
I have finished my very first project using dpns:

it's a beanie for F. but he won't model for me....!
And finally this mohair scarf.

I decided to use size 4 needles to knit it because I only had two 40 gr. balls and obviously not enough for an average length scarf. So the stitches seem a bit loose, but I'm hoping it will look a bit better after washing it.

I'm here.

2007-01-26T20:10:00.000+09:00

The last couple of weeks have been rather chaotic for me and to make things even worse I developed a bad pain in my back which kept me immobilized for a few days.
Then I had to deal with a small family crisis. Nothing serious, but you know....family has always priority.
At the moment I'm concentrating on finishing a project for the knit and crochet calender contest. Deadline in on the 1st of February fortunately so I still have a little time, then I will be starting another project for another contest, as well as a shawl I'm designing. I should say thinking of designing really, because it's mostly in my head at the moment. I will definately have pictures to show very very soon. It's a promise.

Nothing to report.

2007-01-19T20:08:00.000+09:00

except that a terribly sore back has been keeping me immobilised since last Monday.
I'm not sure how it happened but I'm quite sure it was while tidying up my hobbies room. This is a medium size room where I have a table, a couple of chairs, a small wardrobe (actually it is an antique in urgent need of repair), my sewing machine, two knitting baskets, and at least a dozen cardboard boxes of different sizes which contain anything from oil paints, brushes, tubes and bottles of various paints and colours, various instruments for almost every craft you can think of, as well as anything for which a can't find a collocation anywhere else in the house. This is where things disappear for months, years even, or forever. For this reason it is also known as the "lost and found room" and sometimes even the "haunted room". I suppose there's a room like this in almost every home.
So at the moment knitting is out of the question, but here are a few of things I knitted back in the 90's.

Dpns: a new experience.

2007-01-09T20:06:00.000+09:00

l have a confession to make. Ladies please sit down.....here it comes...:-
I have never knitted socks! Yes, really!
And there's more. I bought my first dpns just before last Christmas, dropped them into my knitting basket and waited to build up enough courage to pick them up and attempt a couple of stitches. Last friday I decided I was ready for the new experience, took a very deep breath, opened the pack and arranged the 5 needles neatly one next to the other on the dining room table.
I have never felt so stupid in my life. I picked them up and dropped two of them on the floor right away. How clumsy! Rita, relax..take another deep breath...good!
At this point I felt the urge to replace them back into their box and drop them (again) into the knitting basket (or out the window), but I decided to leave them on the table. Who knows? , I thought, I might get inspired.
And I finally did. It happened one day later but I will not bore you with the details of one of the biggest failures of my life: the twisted stitches, the noise of needles falling on ceramic tiles ....maybe some of you have experienced the same frustration. I was ready to give up but my little sister came to the rescue and made a great tutorial for me. So last night I started a simple ribbed beanie for F. I hope to get it finished before the weekend, wish me luck!!!

Back to normality at last.

2007-01-06T20:05:00.000+09:00

With the festivities over and all the Christmas decorations out of the way, the ideas that just a couple of weeks ago were nothing but confusion in my head are now becoming more and more clear and starting to make sense. Having nothing interesting to show yet, here are a couple of fos from last year:
the Kiri shawl-

the Clove stitch shawl-

oh, and this-

St. Moritz scarf.

2007-01-02T20:03:00.001+09:00

Scarf measures cms 26 x 157 ( ins 10 x 62 )
Any type of wool can be used. ( Avoid thin wool unless you want a very narrow scarf.)
Pattern:

Cast on 38 sts
Row 1) [sl1, k2, *k2, k2tog, yo, p2, yo, sl1k1psso,*] k5, sl1k1psso, yo, k2, yo, k2tog, k5, rep from *to*,k3.
Rows 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and all even rows of cable sequence: work sts as they are, purling yo's.
Row 3) Work from [ to], k4, sl1k1psso, yo, k4, yo, k2tog, k4, rep from *to*,k3.
Row 5 and 7) Work from [to], k3, sl1k1psso, yo, k6, yo, k2tog, k3, rep from *to*,k3.
Row 9) sl1, k2,*k2, k2tog, yo, p2, yo, sl1k1psso*, place next 3 sts on hold at the front of your work on cable holder, k3, k the sts on hold, yo, k2tog, k3, rep from*to*,k3.
Rows 11, 13, 5, :- work as Row 5.
Rows 12, 14, 16, :-work as Row 2.
Repeat from Row 9 to Row 16 three times.
Rows 34, 36, 38:- work as Row 2.
Row 35) Work from [ to ], k3, yo, k2tog, k6, sl1k1psso, yo, k3, rep. from * to *,k3.
Row 37) Work from [ to ], k4, yo, k2tog, k4, sl1k1psso, yo, k4, rep. from * to *,k3.
Row 39) Work from [ to ], k5, sl1k1psso, yo, p2, yo, k2tog, k5, rep. from * to *,k3.
Row40 and all even rows of diamond cable stitch :- sl1, k2, p15, k2, p15, k3.
Row 41) Work from [ to ], k4, sl1k1psso, yo, k1, p2, k1, yo, k2tog, k4, rep from * to *,k3
Row 43) Work from [ to ], k3, sl1k1psso, yo, k2, p2, k2, yo, k2tog, k3, rep from * to*,k3.
Row 45) Work from [ to ], k2, sl1k1psso, yo, k3, p2, k3, yo, k2tog, k2, rep from * to *,k3.
Row 47) Work from [ to ], k1, sl1k1psso, yo, k4, p2, k4, yo, k2tog, k1, rep from * to*,k3.
Row 49) Work from [ to ], sl1k1psso, yo, k5, p2, k5, yo, k2tog, rep from * to *,k3.
Row 51) Work from [ to ], k1, place next 3 sts on hold at the back of work on cable holder, k3, k the sts on hold,p2 place the next 3 sts on hold at front of work on cable holder, k3, k the sts on hold, k1, rep from * to *,k3.
Row 53) Work from [ to ], k7, p2, k7, rep from * to *,k3.
Row 55) Work from [ to ], k4, place 3 sts on hold at front of work on cable holder, place next 2 sts on hold at back of work on cable holder, k3, p the 2 sts on hold at back of work, k the 3 stitches on hold at front of work, k4, rep from * to *,k3.
Row 57) Work from [ to ], k7, p2,k7, rep from * to *,k3.
Row 59) Work from [ to ], k1, place 3 sts on hold at front of work on cable holder, k3, k sts on hold, p2, place 3 sts on hold at back of work on cable holder, k3, k sts on hold, k1, rep from * to *, k3.
Row 61) Work from [ to ], k1,yo, k2tog, k4, p2, k4, sl1k1psso, yo, k1, rep from * to *,k3.
Row 63) Work form [ to ], k2, yo, k2tog, k3, p2, k3, sl1k1psso, yo, k2, rep from * to *,k3.
Row 65) Work from [ to ], k3, yo, k2tog, k2, p2, k2, sl1k1psso, yo, k3, rep from * to *,k3.
Row 67) Work from [ to ], k4, yo, k2tog, k1, p2,k1,sl1k1psso,k4, rep from * to *, k3.
Row 69) Work from [ to ], k5, yo, k2tog, p2, sl1k1psso,yo,k5, rep from * to *,k3.
Row 71) Work from [ to ], k6, yo, k2tog, sl1k1psso, yo, k6, rep from ] to ], k3.
Row 73) Work from [ to ], k4, sl1k1psso, yo, k4, yo, k2tog, k4, rep from * to *,k3.
Rows 75 and 77) Work from [ to ], k3, sl1k1psso, yo, k6, yo, k2tog, k3, rep from * to *,k3.

Repeat cable sequence :- Row 9 to Row 16 ( my scarf has 9 repeats, but they can be increased to get the desired length).

Repeat Rows 35 to 77.

Work cable sequence for 3 times (Row 9 to Row 16).

Last 7 rows:-
Rows 1 and 3) Work from [ to ], k3, k2tog, yo, k6, yo, sl1k1psso, k3, rep from * to *,k3.
Rows 2, 4, 6) work stitiches as they are, purling yo's.
Row 5) Work from [ to ], k4, k2tog, yo, k4, yo, sl1k1psso, k4, rep from * to *,k3.
Row 7) Work from [ to ], k5, k2tog, yo, k2, yo, sl1k1psso, k5, rep from * to *,k3.
Bind off.
Wash and block.

Crochet bedspread, etc.

2006-12-29T20:00:00.000+09:00

I learnt to crochet in my teens, fascinated by the beautiful things my mother used to make (and still makes) : tablecloths, bedspreads, tops...you name it. It's funny how I can often reproduce a crochet stitch without even following a pattern, and have a hard time following some relatively simple knitting patterns. Beats me!
This is the largest thing I have ever made, a cotton bedspread I made a few years back.

It took me years to finish it, about seven, and although I am quite proud of the results I doubt I will ever make anything similer to it, or so elaborated.

Another thing I learnt as a little girl was embroidery. Simple stitches of course, first of all cross stitch but not only that.
I have been meaning to get this framed, but I still haven't found a large enough round circular wooden frame for it. ( Sorry about the poor quality of this photo, it is a very nice piece of work I assure you!)

And now for this stitch, does anyone know what it's called?
I learnt it at a summer course held by nuns in a convent not far from here, and they called it "flame stitch". I find it very effective and beautiful and it reminds me of swedish weave....what do you think?

Well, if anyone has ever come across it please let me know.

Tunisian.

2006-12-27T19:59:00.000+09:00

Hallo knitting ladies, I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas day.
My family and I enjoyed a quiet but pleasant day with delicious food (cooked by moi, of course), sitting in front of the fireplace mostly as the weather outside was "frightful", as the song says. In other words my knitting basket has been put away but fear not....I have already a few ideas buzzing in my head....all in good time.....
Have I mentioned that I have other passions besides knitting? Well this is one of them..

Those of you accustomed to crocheting surely know what Tunisian crochet is. I brought this particular hook back from Australia last year and have been making these squares mainly in summer, as I find it a bit difficult to knit when the weather is particularly warm. I still haven't decided what they are going to become, maybe a throw....any suggestions?

Happy Christmas to all!

2006-12-25T19:56:00.000+09:00

.... The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men!’

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Christmas bells are ringing...

2006-12-22T19:53:00.000+09:00

....and I still have to buy a lot of things, In particular I need some ingredients for the dishes I'm planning to cook. My shopping list is rather long although this is going to be a quiet Christmas for us. The truth is that I would love to have the rest of my family who lives overseas here to enjoy a cold Christmas for a change. They are in Australia and most of them have never experienced it. Who knows...maybe one day.
Back to reality, yesterday was market day at Capo d'Orlando ( a pretty town about 25 minutes drive away from here) but , as I espected, it was sprinkling when I arrived and by the time I parked the car and walked to the actual market grounds it was showering. I decided to take a look around anyway, and 2 minutes later realized it wasn't such a good idea (the sleeves of my coat were soaked by the water from other people's umbrellas).
Since my idea was to get some dpns, a 4.5 circular, a cordless phone and something for Fabio I took a walk through town and managed to get everything including 3 balls of a gorgeous pink wool for me. But that was it, and so now I'm off to the supermarket. I have a feeling the next two days are going to be full!

Deadlines? No. thank you.

2006-12-18T19:50:00.000+09:00

I should have known better. Deadlines are not for me. Just a few weeks ago I had planned to finish, by the 20th of this month, four projects I had started some time ago:
1) the Christmas scarf
2) a cap for Fabio
3) the Fir cone shawl
4) a stole I have designed
Ok, I finished the Christmas scarf. And the rest? ....get the idea?
Anyone who has pets will know what I'm talking about. They can complicate your life, drain all the energy from you and freeze any enthusiasm you may have. Believe me , having to wipe dozens of muddy paw-prints from my family's room tiles is no joke.
Then there's the garden. Ours is a large 2000 square meter block of land, and this is what a small part of the garden facing north-east looked like a couple of months ago....

.....but not now. When I go out there I cannot help but look around me in despair as the weeds grow higher and higher and most of the plants are in need of urgent pruning before the cold wind from the north arrives and tears the branches away.
Do I sound like a "desperate housewife" in need of attention and feeling sorry for herself? Oh, you couldn't be more wrong. I will tell you what my problem is. I am a perfectionist. In every possible way. And when I see imperfection around me I tend to ( cowardly) close my eyes or look away. This is it..I'm just plain angry with myself for not having the capability of stopping things from getting out of hand and changing the events in some measure.
But enough of that.
As far as knitting is concerned, well I have actually managed to do some and I'm about to finish another scarf. My other projects will just have to wait till the new year.

The Christmas Scarf

2006-12-06T19:41:00.001+09:00

I have designed this scarf thinking of a last minute simple but pretty gift which can be made quickly and with very little effort.

Instructions:
You can use any type of wool, so gauge is not important.
Smocking stitch:- it's worked on a multiple of 8 stitches +2
Set-up Row (RS): *p2,k2* to last 2 sts, p2.
Row 1 & 3 (WS) : *k2,p2* to last 2 sts, k2.
Row 2 (RS) : *p2,k2* to last 2 sts, p2.
Row 4 (RS) : p2, * insert right needle, from front to back, between 6th and 7th sts on left needle, wrap working yarn around right needle and pull loop through to front of work, place loop on on left needle, k loop together with next st on left needle, k1,p2,k2,p2* to end.
Row 5 & 7 (WS) : *k2,p2* to last 2 sts, k2.
Row 6 (RS) : *p2,k2* to last 2 sts, p2.
Row 8 (RS) : p2,k2,p2, *insert right needle , from front to back, between 6th and 7th sts on left needle, wrap working yarn around right needle and pull loop through to front of work, place loop on left needle, k loop together with next st on left needle, k1,p2,k2,p2* to last 4 sts, k2,p2.
Repeat Rows 1 to 8 , finish repeating Rows 1,2 and 3. Cast off.

Fringe:-
Cut yarn into 25cms (10 inchs) strands. Fold two strands in half and use a crochet hook to pull the fold trough one stitch in the scarf edge. Pull through just enough so that the fold forms a loop, and with the crochet hook pull the strands, from back to front, through the loop made previously, pull to tighten.
If you like you can sew a bead between the strands of the fringe.
Carefully trim fringe diagonally to create an asimmetric finish.
Repeat on other side.

Auguri mamma!

2006-12-06T07:18:00.000+09:00

I'ts my mothers birthday today.
How old is she? Oh, you can't tell a lady's age!!
She lives in Australia with the rest of my family. I called her this morning to wish her a happy birthday of course. It was great to hear her voice, but I really wished I had been there with her and my dad. This photo was taken during my last trip to Australia in 2005

Tanti auguri mamma!!

The cactus and the ufo

2006-12-03T07:02:00.000+09:00

What do a cactus and a ufo have in common?
Nothing.
Except that a lot of my attention was focalized on both for most of last summer.
Let me tell you about that cactus. I am very proud of it. It was a lovely gift that my dad gave me seven and a half years ago, when we moved into our new house.
Exotic plants are terribly expensive here, and this particular one was definately expensive. Since then I have been doing all I can to make sure it survived and not only it did survive....it grew! Yes, we have repotted it twice already with the enormous efforts of the whole family and it is no joke, believe me! My biggest hope was to see it flower so I did a little research but with great disappointment I read that an echinocactus (that is the botanic name) will not flower until it reaches the age of seventy.
Can you imagine how pleasantly surprised I was when I realized that those strange lumps growing on top of my favourite cactus were FLOWERS??
I had no idea it was so old...
Now for the ufo.
I can hardly bear to look at it...it's the Fir cone shawl I started at the beginning of last summer and that for some misterious reason I dropped into my knitting basket never to be picked up again. I have asked myself so many times what possessed me to start it in the first place...don't get me wrong...I like that shawl and I can't believe I gave it up at only 30 rows to the end. I mean THIRTY ROWS. If I had had the patience of knitting one row every six days it would have been finished by now.
I feel so stupid and frustrated. Now I have two choices, I can just rip it and use that pretty pink wool for some other project (have plenty of ideas)...or take courage and MAKE myself knit those last 30 rows.
I need a little more time to make up my mind.

My secret project.

2006-11-24T15:59:00.004+08:00

I have been working at this for a few weeks and it's finally a FO. I'ts the shawl I have designed, the Venezia Shawl.

Although the stitches I chose are not particularly difficult, I did complicate my life by chosing a top down shawl instead of a simpler bottom to top one.
Well, I admit I'm quite satisfied and I have already started on a couple of new projects plus I have a UFO hidden somewhere.....Back to work!!