Father Time Marches On♡

 

Hello lovely lovelies; lovely friends♡ Father Time has marched on to the month of March......and with  it, the season of Autumn. Is it my imagination but Father Time seems to move with a quickened step these days?? My weeks seem to pass by in a blink of an eye. 

Daylight hours are shorter and there's a change in the light; a softer glow. And of course, the garden is telling me that there's a whiff of a new season to happen upon the scene. Summer has gone. Actually it never really showed up. A handful of hot days, but really, not much to write home to mother about. 

This summer the flower season has not been a long one. Oh, there's been a profusion of flowers; just shorter than their usual cycle. I've noticed the hydrangeas particularly haven't shown off their coloured blooms for as long. They are already beginning to morph into their autumnal hues. The sweet pea vines are spent and have begun to shrivel into a brown and dry mess, and are now forming seeds where they will fall wherever they will, in readiness for the flowers that will sprout yet again next spring.  I must say the sweet peas were a vision splendid this year.

The dahlias are flowering. The cosmos, too.  But again, both took a long while to do so. I'm sure there will be early frosts so that will be the end of these blooms. The roses are past their best with just a few to pick each morning. It's just not been hot enough for them to flower vigorously.   Such are the seasons of life........and climate.

Now about those sweet critters I've been crocheting. This week they seem to have walked, sauntered, padded, hopped, crawled, ran, flew, crept.......swam onto the squares. Sixteen animals are smiling happily atop the squares. Three more animals have joined the zoo; a baaing sheep, a meowing cat and swimming fish. There are two more animals to crochet and then I can start crocheting the blanket together; that is after the remaining green grannies are finished. Ten green ones to go. Will the crocheting of granny squares ever end??!! =) Hopefully, by the end of this coming week. YES! That light at the end of the tunnel, where the din of animals can be heard, is glowing a little brighter.

I will continue to crochet the grannies this evening while watching TV....a 'Vera' rerun, perhaps. That is of course, the TV powers that be, don't usurp and commandeer every channel and feel the need to inform me of a minute by minute report of the diabolical madman's latest extraordinary and maleficent diversion!!

And on that note I'm going to disappear. =) But only for a week or so. I will return......but then..........who really knows. =) Bye lovely lovelies; lovely friends. Try to have a lovely day. Some meditative slow stitching...knitting...crocheting... perhaps?? Some tea?? Some cake?? Or maybe a little book readin'. Whatever it is that distracts you from the madding crowd, enjoy; and please, take care♡♡

Until the next time......

I spy with my little eye....

 Something beginning with......

Petunia Pig

Lacey Ladybird

Reggie Rabbit

Milly Mouse 

Kingston Koala 

Sammy Snail

Dudley Dog 

Faelynn Fox

Penelope Penguin

Piao Panda

Lenny Lion

Benny Bear

AND......because there has to, just has to  be a turkey on my American grandson's blanket......

Theodore Turkey 

And, oh my goodness, did he take a while to finish! I gave up on the instructions in the book and imagined another way to finish the feathers. He didn't come out too badly, not too badly at all....even if I do say so myself. =)

This week I completed more critters. Thirteen have joined the menagerie. Five more to go. All the fiddly bits......eyes, ears, snouts, beaks, feet, cheeks etc etc were finicky and time consuming and a bit of a pain to crochet and then sew. Thank goodness I decided to crochet the animals separate to the granny square as there would be a messy tangle of threads on the back of the blanket. All that will be seen on the back now is the outline stitching of each animal. More work of course, but for my persnickety eye, much neater and visually pleasing.

The book has an animal dancing on every granny square of the blanket. This blanket will not. There's only going to be an animal on every alternate square. An animal on every square is a little too busy for me. I know!! I'm that girl where more is never enough. Go figure!!

Throughout today (as it's Sunday) I have picked up my crochet hook and worked on more granny squares. There's quite a few to do still. Only four weeks in which the blanket has to be finished. I had better skedaddle!

Thank you for visiting my little place♡ It's a place where for a while yet I will be wrapped in a tangly, woolly mess. My little candle is shining♡ A fragrant candle with coconut and lime scents wafting around as I crochet♡ A beautiful aroma, creating a cosy ambience.......relaxing me; as I granny square away♡ Hoping your day, lovely lovelies; lovely friends, is a joyous one♡

Until the next time......

Granny Square Love♡

 

Hello lovely lovelies; lovely friends♡ Welcome to my little place, where this past week there has been a lot of granny square love, happening..........oh, and a bit of hydrangea love going down, as well♡

For quite a while now I've wanted to fashion a blanket dancing with solid granny squares with a menagerie of sweet animal faces smiling playfully atop the grannies. I bought a book last year showcasing patterns by Caitie Moore, Sharna Moore and Celine Semaan, explaining the how-tos of such a blanket. The only problem was I've never been able to read a crochet pattern. Crochet patterns have always been gobbledygook to me. It was rather akin to trying to learn another language.

So, I bit the bullet. Enough dithering. Enough procrastination. I jumped off the crochet precipice and fell down, down down into the land of hooked needles and interlocking loops of yarn and threads; where crochet symbols and terms...treble, hdc, dc, sc, BOL, FOL, fpttr, fodc etc etc rule supreme.  Oh my giddy aunt, my head is dizzy with crochet symbols ricocheting and colliding around my muddly head. I can't tell you how many times I've undone what I crocheted and how many times I've had to re-read the patterns. And, sometimes, I reverted to YouTube tutorials showing a different way to crochet ears, eyes etc. Gosh ears, noses......so, so tiny to do! And these itty bitty parts seem to take an inordinate amount of time to do! It's a good thing there are a few animal granny squares tutorials out there on the internet.

But, I must say that after a week  of scrutinising crochet patterns I'm feeling a little less overwhelmed. There's a long way to go, though.

In the book the animal faces are crocheted as part of the granny square. I found this method impossible for some of the animals. So, I've crocheted the faces separate and will sew them onto the squares later. A lot more work but I found this method easier. Also, the back of the blanket will be neater as all the messy stitching of the face details will be hidden.

I also learnt how to crochet a solid granny square this week. Oh my goodness, I had so much trouble crocheting these. A lot of frogging.......and a lot of angst. It's safe to say that after this blanket I won't be crocheting another pretty with solid grannies anytime soon . 

This blanket will be cot size. It's a gift for Lenox, who will be turning one in April. I cannot believe he is nearly one. Where oh where did that time go!!?? The blanket will have thirty five 6" squares in all. I've completed thirteen so there's a way to go. It has to be finished in five weeks as Lenox and his mummy and daddy are coming to Tassie for a wee holiday. So, it's all guns blazing re animal granny squares. Notwithstanding all the angst and the pulling out of hair this week, I must say, I'm loving these sweet critters. This afternoon I crocheted a ladybird for Slow Sunday stitching. 'She's' a sweet little thing.

She's taken a shine to the flowers in the garden♡

Thank you for visiting my little place where a menagerie of sweet animals wait patiently to be finished and indeed, to emerge. Plenty more granny squares and critters to be fashioned, though. Have a beautiful day, lovely lovelies; lovely friends, enjoying moments that bring you joy♡

Until the next time......