Thursday 26 May 2016

Colouring in

Am slowly getting there with my blanket, I think I'm virtually half way.
I enjoyed a nice hour this morning colouring squares in on my template so i can see where each square will go and how I will sew it together.

I have done another lot of streaming and blocking so nearly ready for sewing up the first squares.


 The above shows my overall progress


The above shows my colouring in. ...was like being back at school.  Such fun!

Sunday 22 May 2016

Quintessentially English

One thing I love about the summer,  amid all the fetes and fairs that crop up around us in abundance, is the beautifully colourful bunting.  With all the pretty colours of the rainbow,  it brightens up everywhere and gives a sense of  joyfulness.

A few years ago,  while visiting around the harbour,  quay area of Poole (south coast in beautiful Dorset), I wandered into a gift shop and found some very Cath Kidston style bunting in plastic.  Although I've used it a couple of times to decorate a gazebo,  I'm aware that it  sits in a draw unseen for most of the year. Conscious that we should always enjoy things now rather than leaving them for later (because what if later doesn't come), I dug it out and strung it up along the fence.

Over the winter I had also made lots of crochet triangles and so,  I strung them all together on a chain stitch chain,  and hung them on the opposite fence. I figured even if it rained they would soon dry.



Now my garden looks bright and colourful,  just like a village fete without the white elephant and tombola








Wednesday 18 May 2016

A study of daisies

I am considering adding daisies to my blanket so have been doing a little study.






I've produced two crocheted daisies in a very rough format so far but still think I need to change them a little bit 

I tried two different yellow centres but definitely think the yellow on the right is closer to the real thing. 

I took a few other photos of the garden which I've added. I can't wait till they are all out in bloom. Hopefully it will be a cacophony of beautiful colours.



Pretty honeysuckle



 I love sitting in my duck egg blue chair,  in the Sun,  reading a book and having a cheeky cuppa between clients.
Yesterday a little bumble bee came to join me.  It's really lovely knowing the plants are helping the bumble bees.



And just having flowers inside makes the room so pretty and colourful. 




Sunday 15 May 2016

Summer blanket

Well I have been crocheting my heart out last couple days and this is where I am now.
I have completed 67 squares, a mixture of the four sizes and colours.
This morning I have blocked and steamed them. ..gosh that's a really tedious job but it has to be done

Here are my steaming photos


And the next lot


And the next lot


And the next lot



I took this picture (above) to illustrate the difference between those that have been blocked and steamed and those that haven't. You can see how much more curled up the unsteamed ones are.  I did mine on my ironing board with pins, then you hold the iron just above the wool and press the stream button,  moving iron slowly across the area


This is my progress so far.  Above with squares done so far and below the amount covered so far.  I think I'm nearly a third of the way there. 


Thursday 12 May 2016

One day until the weekend

Yay,  as much as I love my work and clients. ...I still get happy when we get close to the weekend

New jars of wax bought



I always buy the zest one in the Summer for my lovely ladies. ...it smells so fresh fruity and like summer.  The men don't like smelling lovely so just a plain one for them.  It's an excellent medium to work with and a natural product so good for the skin. Especially my hands!



In truth I don't have many people snore because of the type of massage I do, more corrective than relaxing,  but it happens occasionally!

Sunday 8 May 2016

Weekend walks

I thought I would share two photos from my weekend.
On our way to football on Saturday lunchtime,  thing 2 and I stopped for a moment in the castle grounds.  Norwich castle is of Norman origin and sits quite perfectly on its mound in the middle of the city




And today I took a leisurely walk around Whitlingham Broad where there was a family of gosling.



What a beautiful weekend it has been.  I really hope the Summer has started

Wednesday 4 May 2016

Couldn't be helped!

Today I moved everything around in my kitchen/lounge room and washed the entire floor. ...unfortunately this ended up with me being forced to spend time in the Sun in the back garden while it dried.
Luckily I had the foresight to make a mug of tea and take my book and sunglasses out with me.

I'm also studying a course with the OU at the moment called Food as Medicine which is really interesting and some good facts are tucking themselves away into the corners of my brain.

The blanket is progressing but however many squares i do I'm still a long way off.

Happy Wednesday everyone.  I hope wherever you are, you are enjoying the bright yellow sunshine that we are seeing at the moment.  Going to get hotter here at the weekend. ...can't wait.  Xx