Lined Tunisian crochet backpack

Time lately has just not been enough,

so I haven't been able to do much craft wise,

but I wanted to show you my very last project I worked on.

Ultimamente o tempo não tem chegado para tudo, por isso não tenho feito nada novo ao nível do artesanato, mas queria mostrar-vos o último projecto que acabei.

A few months ago I made this Tunisian crochet backpack,

and then it became a UFO,

laying on the UFO container awaiting to be lined.

Há alguns meses atrás fiz esta mochila em crochet Tunisino, mas depois acabou por se tornar num UFO (unfinished object), esquecido na caixa dos UFO à espera de um forro.

So, and since this is the time

for decisions and resolution to be made and accomplished,

the backpack got to get a nice lining.

Por isso e uma vez que esta é uma altura para tomar decisões e cumprir com resoluções, a mochila acabou por ganhar um bonito forro.

Here it is, all done, ready to be filled with all the junk

I usually fill my bags with...

... it looks nice enough on my back, doesn't it...?

Aqui está, pronta e à espera que eu a encha com toda a tralha que habitualmente ponho nos meus sacos... mas ficou bonita e parece bem às minhas costas, não parece?

Now I'll let you all know

that probably my next post on this blog

will be from many many miles away...

Agora quero-vos dizer que provavelmente o meu próximo post nest blog

será de a muitas muitas milhas de distância...

I'll be moving back to Europe early April,

me and my cat Pooh-Pooh

(my little friend will always be where I am,

but let me tell you... it sure ain't easy to fly with a pet!).

Vou regressar à Europa no princípio de Abril,

eu e a minha gata Pooh-Pooh

(a minha amiga estará sempre onde eu estiver

mas deixem-me dizer-vos... nao é nada fácil viajar com um animal de estimação!).

Lots of requirements and whatnot's to deal with!

Anyway, everything is about ready by now for the big move,

I only have a few loose ends to tie off and a lot to pack,

but I'm getting there...

Há montes de requerimentos e papeladas e procedimentos para tratar!

No entanto, agora já está quase tudo pronto para a mudança,

só tenho algumas pontas soltas para atar e muito para empacotar, mas está quase...

Nevertheless, between computer trouble

(yes, my brand new laptop started acting like it's going to die at at moment,

just when I depend on it for everything!),

horrible bad weather scares

Ainda assim, e entre problemas com o computador

( sim, o meu laptop novinho em folha começou a ir-se abaixo constantemente,

mesmo na altura que eu mais preciso e dependo do computador para tratar de tudo!),

sustos terríveis devidos ao mau tempo

(yeah, here we also got hit by the tornadoes... fortunately,

and unlike others, we were safe when all was done and gone),

and life changing decision being made... my life is upside down right now.

(sim, aqui também fomos atingidos pelos tornados... felizmente, e ao contrário de outras pessoas noutras localidades, estávamos bem quando tudo terminou),

e entre decisões de mudança de vida a terem de ser tomadas... a minha vida

está de pernas para o ar neste momento.

Still, I do apologize to all of my friends and followers

for the long absence from this blog.

Ainda assim, peço desculpa a todos os meus amigos e seguidores pela longa ausência deste blog.

I'll see you all soon... from the other side of the pond!

Até breve... do outro lado do lago!

Tunisian Crochet Hobbes

When I asked my son what would my grandson like for Christmas,

he told me the little one is an enthusiastic fan of Calvin & Hobbes comics,

and that he would love a big stuffed Hobbes.

Quando perguntei ao meu filho o que é que o meu neto gostaria para o Natal,

ele respondeu-me que o pequenino é um fã entusiástico da banda desenhada Calvin & Hobbes,

e que adoraria ter um grande Hobbes de peluche.

I do confess the first thing I did was to go online and search for one to buy.

Confesso que a primeira coisa que fiz foi ir online e procurar por um para comprar.

But after having found a bunch of basically nothing I decided I would go for it.

I went with Tunisian crochet stitch

because it gives me a much more sturdy type of fabric

(my Oh La La Lolita Dolls are made with the same type of stitch)

and everything went pretty smooth.

Mas depois de ter encontrado basicamente nada decidi que iria tentar fazer um.

Resolvi-me pelo ponto de crochet Tunisino

porque proporciona um tipo de tecido muito mais resistente

(as minhas bonecas Oh La La Lolita Doll são feitas com o mesmo tipo de ponto)

e tudo correu muito bem.

For the face and nuzzle I experimented 2 or 3 different ways,

till I finally decided I liked the way it looked.

Para a cara e o focinho experimentei 2 ou 3 maneiras diferentes, até que finalmente me decidi pela que gostava mais.

I'm very happy with it, and I do hope my grandson will too.

Estou muito satisfeita com o modo como resultou, e espero que o meu neto também goste.

 Meanwhile I'm keeping busy with the making of some more pretties

which hopefully will meet their destiny this Christmas!

Entretanto continuo ocupada fazendo mais coisas bonitas

que espero encontrem o seu destino este Natal.

 I'll see you soon!

Até breve!

Two more Tunisian Crochet pretties!

This last week was a little busy

but I'm not complaining... busy is good.

So... this past week I went for Tunisian again.

No, no, no, not talking about food.

Talking about Tunisian crochet.

Made a whole new bag and finished another one

that had been laying alone in desperation 

awaiting to be finished for a couple of years at least.

See, I had crocheted the shell and had never finished it.

Now it's lined, magnetic closure in place,

and a beautiful trivet embellishment sewed on.

Love the colors on that one.

The next one was totally made past week,

from the Tunisian to the lining and embellishments.

Both of them came about really nice I think.

Wish you a wonderful Saturday, and I'll see you all later.

Tunisian on the round

Since I discovered Tunisian crochet,

aka afghan stitch,

I fell in love with it.

Tunisian finished product 
is a sturdy woven type of fabric,

very suitable for many of my projects.

But my latest discovery on Tunisian

is the Tunisian on the round.
It is surprisingly easy!
I've found this really good tutorial
to learn how to make Tunisian on the round.
I wanted to try it at once
and made these bracelets in about an hour.

The green one was suppose to be a collar for Baby, my cat.

But that was a bad idea,
just like all the other store bought collars she has!
The scratches on my arms are proof to that!

You wear them!, 
that's what she seems to tell me.
So... I decided to offer it to my brown bear

who holds my TV remote
and wears it proudly,
without a single complaint!
So there you have it, miss Baby, spoiled brat!

Lolitas, Tunisian Crochet Bracelets and Humbags

This past week was quite busy.

After our home coming from the hospital stay,
there were a thousand and one little things
needing to get done around the house, phone calls to make, bills to pay and lots of other small things to do.
And of course taking care of J takes most of the time,
specially now with that horrible open wound after the surgery...

Didn't really had much time to craft,
tough at night time, while watching a little TV,
I've finished 3 more dolls

just like the one I called Lolita, shown also in here
(shall I just call Lolita to this type of doll?,
I really do enjoy the sound of Lolita... ).
OK... That will do it!,
from now on all this type of dolls shall be called Lolitas!

So... as I were saying... I've made 3 more Lolitas
and a hat for the original Lolita.
I really like them!

A bunch of Lolitas, like the sisterhood of the Lolita dolls!

Anyway...

Yesterday, my niece decided she wanted to spend the night with us.

She had some problems

with her algebra and equations and asked me for help.

It has been so long since my high school,

that I had to kinda refresh my knowledge for a while

till I finally was able to explain it to her.

But we both did good!

She understood and was able to complete all the exercises correctly.

And because she is a very sweet niece,

I gave her a Tunisian crocheted bracelet

and a hum bag for her whatnot's, that I had made a while back.

Finally we're back at home!!...

Since December 9th 2009 J has been in the hospital...

...from the ER to ICU... and then to IMC... and ICU again...
and IMC one more time...

and finally we came back home yesterday!

As always, I've been with J all the time.

I do not dare to leave him by himself,

as he can't ask for help or tell what's going on.

And believe me,

each and every time he has to be hospitalized,

I've found more than enough reasons to do so.

Don't get me wrong... we met lots of wonderful people,

nurses and doctors and all different sort of health workers, really concerned, committed and humane,

but we also met others not so wonderful.

It was very lonely, like always,
but specially this holiday time.
J's birthday came and went, as did Christmas and New Year.
My daily phone conversations with my son and my sister helped a lot
and made me feel not as lonely,
tough my son is in Canada and my sister in Portugal.

Outside the window all the excitement
was about the construction of the new hospital addition.

As part of the view from the ICU room,

the Thompson Cancer Survival Center,

right in front of the Hospital.

To help pass the time, as always,

I had my yarn and my hook and crocheted (Tunisian crochet)

a bunch of small pouches.

Filled them up with candy and put them on the table on Xmas day

so anyone that would come in would pick one.

I think the nurses and the staff really enjoyed it!

For Christmas I got some whatnot's at the gift shop

and displayed them on the window sill.

Not really like my Christmas decorations at home,

but at least I could look up and have a little Christmas feel.

My day chair/night bed

on J's room where I spent my days and nights.

After the pouches,

I made a doll, also in Tunisian crochet,

the same type as so many others I've made before,

but with some little differences this time, which I think came out pretty well (bigger head, bigger eyes, a skirt and striped socks).

This one I've called Lollita.

Cute, ain't she...?