Finding my crafting mojo

Having been sick with cancer and the corresponding fatigue that comes and goes after that, really sapped my energy, brain cells and motivation.

I had tried to pick up my crocheting but I am just too tired to concentrate on learning something new at the moment. (I have yet to pick up how to join the squares.

The original Olafs: You can see the 'recycled' sock was used on the larger Olaf.

I've reconnected with Lindy, my crafty friend, I think I have started up again. I just love seeing something come to life from one medium to another whether it be a tangled ball of yarn turning into something beautiful or socks and a few bits and bobs turn into sock snowman.

I really needed to get back into the swing of crafting regularly.

It really started with one of my grand daughters needing the Olaf  repaired, that I made for her last Christmas when we were in Tasmania. I was foolish enough to recycle an old odd sock the first time but with time, the material was beyond repair so I had to make a duplicate.

Olaf all fixed

I mentioned this to my friend Lindy. She had never seen even a sock snowman, so I offered to show her how to make one. I had left the materials out on the table with the hope that seeing it there would motivate me to make some more since I had bought lots of socks on special earlier in the year for this express purpose.

Lindy & I had such a grand time making a couple of sock snowmen that we have decided to recommenced our weekly crafty afternoons. At least this way we will make some thing weekly as well as have a good old chin wag.

Here are the 2 Olafs with their cousins!

Come back and see what we will make over the coming weeks and months!

Cheese stuffed meatballs in easy tomato sauce

Such a simple easy dinner that comes together with very few ingredients. It is unbelievably tasty and it is one of our family's favourite dinners and I love it too as it is so quick to make. Our family actually just call it cheesy meatballs.

Ingredients:

½ cup rice
90g processed cheddar cheese*, cut into 1cm cubes
425g tomato soup
½ cup water
2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
500g mince
1 onion, chopped
1 egg
salt & pepper

1. Precook rice in a cup of boiling water for 5 minutes in microwave. Strain, rinse in cold water, set aside to dry as much as possible before using.
2. Combine soup, Worcestershire sauce and water in baking dish. Set aside.
3. Cut cheese into 10 – 12 cubes. Set aside.
4. Combine rest except cheese including drained rice.
5. Form into 10 –12 meatballs.
6. Add 1 cheese cube into centre of each ball, enclose cheese thoroughly
7. Place meatballs into soup mix.
8. Cover dish with lid, alfoil or baking tray
9. Bake @ 180o C for 1 hour (350o F)

Serve with mash potatoes, spaghetti or steamed rice

Hint: 

* The cheddar cheese is the long life type as shown below. It is such as what cheese sticks are made of, only we can buy it in blocks off the shelf near the preserves/jam and vegemite section in Australia. Mozzarella might be substituted instead. Regular cheddar cheese can be used but you'll find it has a habit of melting INTO the meatball rather than remaining as a lovely blob of molten cheese.

If you wish to cook this recipe in a thermal cooker such as a DreamPot or a slow cooker then fry the meatballs after forming so that the balls maintain their shape.

Granny Squares - Many squares needed

Wow! So many granny squares are needed for a single blanket.  You might remember that I taught myself how to crochet on the last big trip in 2012 in the caravan starting with these tiny christmas stockings.

Picking a colour theme

The colours of these granny squares were chosen to match the caravan.  However, it has has taken much longer than expected and getting sick with cancer in the meantime didn't help. I just had no energy or brain power for most creative pursuits for more than 18 months. Anyway it was a project that got left on the back burner for so long. We are now selling our beloved caravan and it is not quite the colours I envisioned for our converted bus/motorhome that Rob started even before I got sick.

Crocheting outside my caravan on a trip

Resuming crocheting

Lately I have resumed the project especially as it was an easy project to do at night keep the hubby company whilst he watch TV and I sorted of watched TV and crochet at the same time. One thing I love about crocheting is that it is easy to do in dribs and drabs as my attention span tends fluctuate at times. I know many of you can crochet and watch tele easily but being profoundly deaf and reliant on captioning, I can't effectively do both... but there's always lots of ads and if the show is boring I can concentrate more on my craft. There's always 2 sides to a coin.

The next step

Well now I think I've reached the point where I'm ready to start joining them altogether. I have made 100 squares in burgundy, pink, hunter green and soft green.I haven't done this before as all my previous crocheting have just been one giant granny square. I know I can whip stitch them, but I am going to trial a few crochet joins and see what I end up with. I have already decided against one method as it looked too untidy and uneven.

The type of join I decide with also affect the end size of the blanket. I wonder just what size it will end up being. It has now grown from being a lap rug in the caravan a few years ago when I started it to being one I hope will fit across the bed in the motorhome. I'd love to know how people work out how much wool to buy without buying too much but certainly no one wants to run out of wool so close to the end either!

Too many UFO's

Like many of us crafts people, I've got a huge list of UFOs. (Un Finished Objects)  However I am starting to tick them off bit by bit.  If only I would stop starting yet another project.

My next project

I can't wait to show you what I made for my grand daughters' last birthdays. I am very happy with them. So pop on back in a few weeks and see what it is. Here's a teaser! I have sewn it and they will be able to play with it!

A teaser of what I made for my grand daughters!

A reminder of my cute little Christmas Stockings I made back in 2012.

Just one of my Christmas Stockings