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.