A long time ago I went to an art exbibition. It was amateur art, but the group apparently had a good reputation. I accompanied my mother because her friend was exhibiting. There were a number of different pictures – no set theme, and it wasn’t particularly well hung, so landscape and shells were next to flowers and apples which were next to horses or portraits, sort of thing. However, most of the pictures were more than presentable, and one was the most beautiful pansy.

We wandered around, listening to the conversations, viewing the art, looking, of course, for mum’s friend. She appeared and we went off for a coffee before her time of stewarding arrived. When we returned she took us on a tour of the exhibition giving us snippets of information about the artists. We arrived at the pansy to hear the artist deep in conversation with another visitor. The visitor was extolling the virtues of the painting, but for some reason the face of the artist was becoming less and less receptive with every word. Finally she drew herself up to her full 5′ 2″ and said

“It’s MEANT to be an ORCHID!”

It was at that moment that I decided it was much safer to work with abstract or symbolism, but of course crochet doesn’t usually come with such confusion.

The squares above are from this year’s TEMPERATURE BLANKET Each one represents three days, and it’s currently up to date.

More daily squares – these are also up to date. The number needed is still to be determined – END OF LOCKDOWN BLANKET squares are safely stored in a darkened room – let’s hope I don’t have to join them if the current state of affairs returns to an indefinite state!

But it isn’t all about squares! This is the PICK ME UP and PUT ME DOWN BLANKET It’s about a third of the way through and is perfect for working in the evening. It’s relatively simple and keeps my knees warm! Once it’s done I’ll give you all the details. I have something similar in mind too, but more about that another day.

It’s a glorious day today. Sunshine and blue skies. Temperatures are rising too, and it’s conceivable that a touch of yellow will be introduced into the daily squares before long. I’m really looking forward to Easter weekend. We can travel further than has recently been allowed – and have visitors. Of course all entertainment must continue outside – but … the thought of seeing family is really almost overwhelming.

This little Forget-me-not appeared this morning. I don’t think we’ll quickly forget the last year. I’ve managed to withstand temptation for most of that time, but sadly I have to admit that I’ve given in to temptation! THIS SALE AT DERAMORES was just too good to miss!

• The story of May!
• Five and May progress
• Five and some revisits.
• Simply five more!
• January Catch-up