Posy

Crochet Afternoon

The scene was set for my friend Lisa to come over, at long last, for our 'crochet session'.  This is something we've tried to organise for sometime and I was really looking forward to it.  The children laughed, well scoffed would be more accurate, at me as I decided to set up a little tea table which looking at it now, looks barely worth it!  Why didn't I go the whole hog and arrange it with a cake stand and a vase of flowers - it looks quite ridiculous and (horror of horrors)...dull..a word that strikes fear into my heart!  It really does make me smile when I think back to Lucy's reaction when I asked her if she would, at some point in the afternoon, take a photo of the scenario for the blog....as she looked up at me from her studies, her face incredulous.."What do you want me to do? Are you joking? Take a photo of you two with the tea things in front of you? No, you are crazy!"

So I took the photos myself but it wasn't long before our quiet, girlie afternoon was interrupted - just as I had made the tea. Did I tell you weeks ago that our fridge had broken? Well, Anth had arranged for our friendly 'odd-job' man to come and remove the old fridge freezer before the new one (which has just arrived today) could be installed. So, there was banging, sighing, requests for screwdrivers, light switches having to be removed, the very loud whizzing of an electric saw, (tiny kitchen = tiny space = cutting off a cm of work top = every little helps!) sawdust flying everywhere and cats running around covered in cobwebs as they found a way behind the kitchen cupboards due to the removal of the fridge/freezer. Lisa and I sat with all this commotion going on but dissolved into giggles when every now and then a now separated fridge or freezer would pass by!

And just look at the filthy state of it - I was horrified (though it was between cupboards for 15 years, I hasten to add!)

Now that wasn't the afternoon I had been expecting but did we manage to do much crochet? Well let's say that a repeat of the afternoon is necessary minus household appliances passing before our eyes!

A little bit of summer rippling

So now I can add the long grass to the long list of different places I've crocheted my ripple blanket. I am still loving it and find it very therapeutic going up and down the waves. I am not following any colour pattern - it's just sort of evolving.

Slight problem though - the more I do, the bigger it gets, the more it covers me! Hmm not a sensible summer project but I do love it. So if you see a blonde, sweaty lady wrapped in a ripple blanket crocheting furiously - pass her a towel!

Riding on the crest of the wave

I succumbed. I was going to start my own crocheted ripple blanket when I finished my granny blanket, but I was in need of a lift and a change so I started it over the weekend. Anth and I had another day out, this time to Slapton Sands. I sat in perfect harmony with the sea as I rode up and down each wave of my new blanket.

Slapton is a huge beach made up of tiny pebbles. As I sat rippling Anth read the paper.

There was a fresh breeze blowing but that didn't stop the first seasons wearing of the flip-flops or revealing my pale English legs.

Our journey to Slapton took us through some of the best places Devon has to offer. It was all pale blue skies and the freshest green. The beach above is one of South Devon's finest, Blackpool Sands.

Poor Anth kept having to stop the car for my photos.

After a few hours of rippling and gazing out to sea we headed home

for more rippling and gazing at the TV!

The Blanket

Umm..it's coming along quite nicely but something doesn't feel quite right. You see, I spend every, and I mean every, possible spare, and some not-so-spare moments, with my crochet hook in my hand - and look how s l o w l y it has grown! I must admit that all the ends have been sewn in (hooray!) so far but it still doesn't look big enough to justify the numerous car, bed, lonely railway waiting rooms, school lunch hours, Ludlow,trains, Tom's drum lessons, Salisbury, restaurants, children's singing shows, and blissful moments by the fire with the TV, sessions! I do have a few more squares to sew on but still...even the photo makes it look bigger!

But I am not discouraged and already have my next project lined up in my head. I get a strange kind of pleasure thinking about what's next on my list. I do have a confession though - I haven't blocked any of them and after reading about what a difference it makes I have decided that I will do the whole lot now before I add anymore squares. I'm just too impatient but hope to be convinced that it will be worth it. Any hints or tips gratefully received!

Heaven

Here I am in the only place I want to be right now - with my new crochet project in my lap. I found an old American crochet book in the library with a beautiful (afghan? Is that an American word for blanket?) on the front cover and I was hooked! (Pun intended!)

Now, the extent of my crochet history is a coat hanger cover, so this was going to be a challenge. A challenge I was ready for as I have had a huge yearning to knit or crochet something recently. It has taken a couple of nights to suss it out (the US books call each stitch a different name) but it has been quite straight forward and now I'm flying...well slowly flapping. Only 2 problems. The first is finding the same colour yarn.

I think the beauty of the blanket is the ice cream colours and I have tried faithfully to copy them. They aren't quite the same but they will do.

Second problem...I don't want to move from the sofa so the laundry, housework and general chores are all stacking up! I even took a little while to go to sleep last night, so went back downstairs and brought my crochet to bed! How on earth will I drag myself to work tomorrow? Last week I even crocheted at school break time and lunch time and gave furtive glances to it sitting in my bag every time I walked by it in the class room! Mmm.. maybe a crochet lesson is in order..

P.S For Angela and for anyone else that is interested the ISBN is:0-696-02307-5

P.P.S My slippers were a present (thanks Hazie) about a year ago..sorry! I think they were from New Look but I'll keep my eyes open for a pair.