Gingham mania!

I came across some gorgeous blankets on a crochet blog a few months ago and they were based on the classic gingham pattern (remember the old café tablecloths and curtains and picnic basket linings)?
I love the look of gingham but had never considered it for a crochet blanket pattern - until I saw this: Gingham blanket pattern from Daisy Farm Crafts.
I was hooked (pardon the pun)!

Problem was, it was in American crochet terms (not my go-to) and I don't like having to "carry" yarn across work 😞 So I shelved the whole idea as "out of my league" and went on with other projects.
Then, a couple of months ago, I came across this post from a U.K. blogger: The Patchwork Heart gingham blanket - a post that provided a tutorial on how to crochet a gingham blanket using the C2C pattern and incorporating the JAYG (Join As You Go) method to put it together.

U.K. terms and no having to carry yarn - yay!

So, I decided to try my hand at making my first crochet gingham blanket.

TaDa!

One of the essential things I learned from the Daisy Farm blog is that, to do a gingham blanket correctly, you only use three colours: a neutral colour and then a dark shade and a light shade of your main colour. Otherwise, you will end up with a patchwork blanket and not the proper gingham-look pattern.

The lighter shade of the main colour is used in every row and is alternated in each row (see above). The neutral colour and the dark shade are used in every second row. 

The border was my youngest son's creation, a mixture of double and half-treble crochet stitches in the three blanket colours.

I used Four Seasons Marvel in Cream as my neutral colour, Porta Craft Lavender as my light shade and Four Seasons Marvel Violet for my dark shade.
These are 8 ply yarns and generally call for a 4-5mm hook but I like using bigger hook sizes as they make the blanket feel softer and more drapey (is that a word?) in my experience.

I was so pleased with how this turned out that I've decided to make my better half one (in his preferred colours).
I can see a flurry of gingham in the near future and am already picturing in my mind's eye how certain shades might look together.
 I love choosing colours for projects 😊

I hope everyone is doing well and keeping warm (or cool, depending on your season). We're almost halfway through this crazy year! Wonder what's next - I'm sure we'll find out soon enough from the corporate media complex.
All musings aside, if  I was only able to say one thing to anyone who reads my blog it would be this - do not put faith in the mainstream media (MSM) to tell the truth and report facts. About anything.
When I woke up to the fact that many (if not most) of the MSM were not journalists, but rather puppets for a propaganda machine, things began to make more sense.

 Truth is out there but it is rarely found in the MSM.

Edit post: my latest gingham blanket is now finished and features below.

My better half and I recently celebrated our anniversary and this was his present from me. He loves it 😊

His present to me. We both love tea: loose leaf tea made in a proper teapot - nothing like it!
This teapot pours beautifully. Anyone who enjoys proper tea knows the importance of a good pourer.

Take care and God bless.

Rainbow spots

Back in January of this year I made a blanket for a friend who sometimes has her Grandies stay over at her home.
I had made blankets for the grandchildren but decided to make one for her, a special "Grandie blanket" she could keep at her house and use when she was babysitting.
I wanted to try a pattern I found a while ago: Granny Flower Square  but in a single colour for each square rather than multi-coloured squares as per the original pattern.

As I was basically making a baby blanket I decided on bright, primary colours - and what is brighter and more primary than a rainbow?
So, the Rainbow blanket idea was born!
The cascading, diagonal colours was originally more of a happy accident than intentional planning on my part but, when I saw how effective grouping the colours together in their spectrum looked, I continued in that vein.
Over a week later, amidst much happy hooking, one bright, sunny (they look like smiley flowers to me) blanket came into existence:

I love the colours; they are like bright suns or smiley flowers 🌸

The border was a simple one, comprised of alternating rows of half trebles (U.K.) in white and double crochets (U.K.) in various colours.

I decided on a simple, neutral button for this blanket, one that would not detract from the blanket itself.

My friend loved it, by the way 😊

Take care, everyone, and God bless.

Of masks and umbrellas

I've just stumbled across a post on another blog that was subtly berating people who are not wearing face masks if they are out and about. The poster wrote that they believed it was a form of rebellion on behalf of the non-mask group, an act of defiance against authority.

I can't speak for anyone else but I can say, for myself, that I do not wear a face mask when out in public (haven't even contemplated it) and, no, it has nothing to do with being rebellious or giving authority the English Archers' Salute.
If anyone wants to know why I don't wear a face mask, please feel free to ask :)

I want to end this post on a beautiful and colourful note, so here are a few paintings of something I quite like, something that is pretty and practical - the humble umbrella:

"Under brown umbrella" by Leonid Afremov. I love, love, love the colours in Afremov's work. Lamp posts glow and the wet paths shimmer. He was a genius.

Whenever I think of umbrellas I always think of this stunning piece of art - Les Parapluies by Renoir.
Those blues...

Finally, "Umbrellas" by Stanislav Sidorov. Gorgeous use of colour amidst a grey backdrop.

Wherever you are, I hope your spirits are buoyed by these little slices of colour.

Take care and God bless.

Making lemonade

This post is about my latest blanket (surprise!) but I'm listening to an absolutely fascinating interview with Dr. David Starkey as I write this and I keep spitting out my tea at his frank, occasionally coarse, blisteringly honest comments.
He says what a lot of people think but are too afraid to voice for fear of being attacked by screechy, virtue-signalling, heretic-hunting "Wokeists". He has a formidable intellect and a captivating way of expressing himself, and is such a breath of fresh air.

So, back to the post at hand - I'm not going to make mention of the bat stew flu (by far my favourite moniker of the many names that have developed over this time) except in reference to what I've been doing during this period:
Deep cleaning, board games, reading and crochet are at the top of the list, especially crochet (no surprise there).

I even made a blanket to commemorate the event in a positive way (turning lemons into lemonade sort of thing) and, thusly, have named it my "Lemonade blanket."

So, without further ado - ta da!

I wanted the colours to be positive and happy and uplifting. The pattern is another of Lucy's (from Attic 24), the Cupcake blanket, and I matched the colours as closely as possible and then added more of my own so that none were repeated.

My label - this time I chose a Big Ben button. If anything says "iconic" to me it is structures such as this magnificent clock. Instantly recognisable to most people and such a classic design.
My only complaint? The flippin' button holes were too small for normal yarn and it had to be sewn on with thread and a very thin needle - FWP!
I'm now making a blanket, a commission from my sis, in a lovely, bright colour palette and using another great Attic 24 stitch pattern (Lucy is amazing. Her blog can be found here)

I hope everyone is doing well and making their own unique lemonade :)

Take care and God bless.

The Waxman Murders

I have rediscovered the wonderful Hugh Corbett mysteries (by author Paul Doherty) and am meandering my way through the 15th book in the series:

I've read most of the Hugh Corbett series of books but the last one was at least two years ago.
So, when I came across The Waxman Murders on display at my local library it was like seeing a photo of a dear friend one hasn't caught up with in ages; I just had to borrow it and get reacquainted - and I'm so glad I did.
There's always the fear (as there is with neglected friendships) that reacquainting yourself with a once-beloved character may prove a disappointment but, thankfully, that was not the case.

I used the word "meandering" in my opening sentence because that is exactly how I'm reading this book. Taking in every word, searching out the meaning of obscure words and terms (and, being a mediaeval mystery, there are a few of them), looking up places (like Buttery Cross) and generally thoroughly enjoying this outing with Sir Hugh and his sidekick, Ranulf, the green-eyed Ranga he rescued from prison (curiously enough, in the first book, Ranulf had blue eyes. I don't know why his eye colour has been changed but I notice weird things like that.)

I've also discovered that Mr. Doherty has added more books to the series since Mysterium (the last one I read) so I am very much looking forward to continuing the journey with Corbett.

Beautiful artwork

Leonid Afremov and Evgeny Lushpin - two incredibly talented Russian artists whose artwork is a joy to behold. I love their use of colour, their style and their subject matter. I love everything about their work!

So, I decided to share some of my favourite pieces:

Rainy Path by Leonid Afremov.

Montmartre by Evgeny Lushpin - Lushpin's colours, especially his blue shades, are just incredible.

Under the red umbrella by Leonid Afremov - love the lamp posts!

Evening tea time by Evgeny Lushpin.

There are lots more wonderful artists out there; these are just two of them. Enjoy :)

Nature's Walk and another year...

This last year of the second decade of the 21st century is already over a week old and I'm only just logging on to the lighthouse - belated Happy New Year to everyone 😊

We went away for the Christmas period and spent a quiet, low-key few days with family; it was blissful.
On 1st January some of us headed down to a café at the marina and enjoyed our surroundings:

There was a very slight breeze and it was balmy - absolutely glorious.




A dear friend celebrated her birthday just before Christmas and, now that she's received her present, I can show it on this blog!

This pattern is Nature's Walk, from a wonderful blog called Cherry Heart
I loved everything about this blanket but especially the colours. I matched yarn with Sandra's choices on her blog as closely as possible and was rapt with the results. My friend loved her birthday gift.

Another friend, who loves red, also celebrated her birthday around the same time so I made her some doilies to match this etched glass candle holder. Such a great find and something rather different.



May 2020 be a blessed and enlightening year for all 🙏

Seasonal temperature blanket...finished!

The weather here is glorious today - 21 degrees and slightly breezy (21 Celsius, that is, not Fahrenheit! - so, about 70F). I've been diligently domesticating in various parts of the house and am now sitting with a cup of Russian Caravan tea (Twinings loose leaf, one of my favourite teas), planning my next post in order to show my now-finished temperature blanket for this year.

But, before I post some photos of the blanket please let me show you my current favourite cup:

This was a present from my honey (who is definitely my better half) last Christmas. It's from the Royal Albert collection and is called Old Country Roses.
It's not only a lovely looking cup, it is also a delight from which to drink. Well-shaped and proportioned (and just so pleasing to the eye).
In the last few months it has taken on an extra special dimension because my mum's name was Rose (as was my original birth name) so it's become a small way of honouring her memory.



Now, on to the blanket 😊


I chose to make a seasonal blanket over the past year, rather than a 1st January to 31st December blanket, as in 2018. So, I started this blanket on 1st December 2018 (the official start of Summer here in Oz) and completed it on 30th November 2019 (last day of Spring for us).
I measured the bed before starting and decided to make the blanket 18 squares across to make a decent-sized cover for a queen size bed.
362 temperature granny squares are in the body of the blanket, plus a granny square for each month and four extra granny squares demarcating each season, for a total of 378 squares (if my maths is correct). The last three days of the seasonal year were the border of the blanket and, amazingly, those days were all the same maximum temperature, so, the border is all one colour - how serendipitous!
On special days, family birthdays and anniversaries, I used a sparkly yarn rather than the max. temp. colour for that day, to make the day gently stand out from the rest.

So, without further waffle or ado, here are some photos:

Back in August, when it was still Winter, but the colours were truly beginning to cascade down the blanket.

Finished and in situ...

A look at the colours from a vertical perspective (1st December 2018 at top left to 30th November 2019 at bottom right)...

...then from a horizontal perspective (Summer on the left, flowing through to Spring on the right).

I love how the colours seem to flow like a waterfall.

The waterfall of colour from another angle.

I also made a cushion, in selected colours from each season's palette, to match the blanket. This is the stripy side...

...and this is the Granny Square side.

The sparkly purple squares for the girls' birthdays...

...sparkly silver for the boys' birthdays...

...and sparkly cream for special anniversaries.

 One steel blue square separates months...

...and two steel blue squares separate the seasons.

Finally, my signature label - a button.
I usually put a lighthouse sticker on my buttons but I wanted this one to be a "cleanskin" as it's such a lovely, classic button just as it is, in my view. I bought this from a small business in town.

There you have it - my Seasonal Blanket. I love, love, love the colour palette created in this piece of work, thanks to the temperatures of the past four seasons and our family's individual celebratory and commemorative days.
I hope it brings a smile to everyone's face 😊

God bless to all.

Creations

The last couple of months have been emotional, to say the least.
My bio mum died in late September and I found out mid-October. I can't really adequately describe the impact the news had but I realised a few things afterwards, one being that I have probably being grieving the loss of my mother all of my life; a low-grade grief, rather like a low-grade infection, that never completely incapacitates but does have an ongoing effect.
The news brought a sense of finality and ending, almost, but not quite relief, more of the realisation of a door shutting permanently. A finality that lifts a weight.
Crochet has been quite a therapeutic pastime through this period and I've turned out a few blankets and some other items.
So, without further ado, my latest crochet projects:

This started off as a memorial blanket  for my brother, whose anniversary is in November. I found the pattern online: here
My wonderful sister, whose birthday is also in November, ended up with this blanket for her birthday - she loved it :)

Another blanket for a daughter's birthday. This was a mish-mash of beautiful granny square patterns I found online, mixed with basic granny squares. I had originally planned it to be a large bedspread but ran out of "oomph" and just wanted to finish it in time. Hence, a bit smaller than planned but still pretty.

Another birthday gift for another precious daughter. This was also an online CAL:here
I chose the squares I liked and named the blanket "Orient Express" as I happened to be listening to the audio book when I started the blanket.





I have a few more blankets to share but they can wait until next time.

New projects

I've been meaning to write another blog post for at least a month now but life always seems to get in the way!
Back in August we spent almost two weeks in Perth, celebrating two birthdays and a graduation. Since then, I've been catching up with a backlog of domestics and, of course, crochet :)

Which brings me to the subject of this blog post - blankets!

I've made several since my last post, one of which is winging its way to my sis as I write. I'll show that one in my next post (I don't want to spoil the visual surprise for my sis).
I'm also continuing with my seasonal temperature blanket, which will finish at the end of November.

This photo shows my temperature blanket back in August ,when I was working the Winter palette colours (bottom of blanket). I think the seasonal demarcations are shown fairly clearly in the palettes.

...and this is my latest creation. The pattern is called Spice of Life and can be found (here)
I chose my own colours for this blanket, as I am more of a blue-toned person, but the original pattern colours are lovely in themselves.

This shows the various stitch patterns a bit more clearly. I loved making this blanket, it was an opportunity to learn new stitches as well as blend my own colour selections.

Finally, this is a tentative colour palette for my latest blanket project, titled Dance in the Sea;
details can be found (here)
Reading about this blanket pattern was bittersweet. The designer was a talented lady who took her own life several years ago while working on this pattern. Some crochet friends got together and finished the pattern in honour of her memory.
My brother's anniversary is coming up in November and, to honour his memory, I'm going to make this blanket. I don't know if it will be finished by mid-November but it doesn't matter if it isn't. I'm just going to take my time and enjoy every stitch.
My sis and I are collaborating on this blanket and the colours are not yet finalised (hence the use of "tentative") but we are having a wonderful time reminiscing about the colours of his many Lacrosse polo shirts and his various favourite outfits.
Stay tuned for more updates on this new work in progress.

One last photo - the first square of my brother's blanket - I think it represents kelp, the fat, grapey-looking kind that you feel like you could "pop" with your fingers, except it's too tough to do so!

Until next time, God bless everyone and Shalom to you and yours.

The skies above

I've been taking photos of the sky for quite a while now, recording how different it looks from the skies I remember from years past.
I started doing this when I began to wake up about what was really going on in our atmosphere -through people like Dane Wiggington and youtube channels such as Jeff P and Niges View on Things (these are only a start; there are many more folk out there reporting, some good and some not. Tread wisely if you decide to go down this rabbit hole. Oh, and be prepared to be labelled a "nutter" or a "tinfoil-hat wearer" or similar! Water off a duck's back now 😊)

All of the photos that follow are my own snaps - taken on a basic camera (not a camera phone) over the last six months or so. I am no photographer but even I can capture, to an extent, some of what is transpiring above us.

I would have thought this beautiful at one time - not so now.

Natural?

Sunrise...

Mid-morning sun.

More crazy colours as the sun rises.

For so long I've watched our skies being sprayed to death, with all of the attendant craziness that follows, so, imagine my surprise when, only a couple of weeks ago, I suddenly realised what I was looking at - A real cloud - yay!

Another real cloud in a clear sky.

These last two photos were actually taken the day after my first realisation I was seeing real clouds and a clear sky again. I was so shocked at first that I did not even think to take a photo; I just stood on the footbridge leading to the harbour and looked up in wonder and gratitude. The next day I went out with my camera and recorded these photos. Winter in my home town under an almost cloudless sky - thank you, Jesus.