… where to start!
August is almost over, and, amongst other things, that heralds the start of autumn. I have to admit that I’m pleased the temperature has dropped somewhat. It isn’t cold by any means, but sleeping is easier, and crochet can at last be factored into the day. My head is bursting with ideas, colours and textures, hopefully some will appear on the hook over the next several months.
I’ll begin by telling you about a mistake I made!
Did you take part? There were many posts on Instagram covering a wide range of media and techniques. I chose the challenge as an ideal opportunity to use my scraps, and here is the project so far:
A square a day was the decision. Not too large, it couldn’t interfere with other projects which had priority, so I decided on four rounds. As the squares grew in quantity a plan for their use became apparent and I realised that I actually needed a few extra, so here they all are, laid out and ready for the next stage.
Next comes the best bit. I’ll sit back with a large cup of coffee and weave in the remaining loose ends. It’s very difficult to undo a round once a square is finished off, so I left some in case a colour needed changing.
It will be a while before joining happens, but it occurred to me that it will be an ideal holiday project! First, however, I need to book one 😉
Are you revelling in temperatures in the late 20 to early 30s degrees C? (That’s 85+ to those of you that still use Fahrenheit, by the way.) I’ll be honest. It’s too hot for me and I’m suffering. A word of warning .. there is crochet below but also some medical stuff, so go away now or scroll down if you don’t want to read ..
For many years I’ve been treated fo Hypothyroidism. One of the many symptoms is inability to control body temperature. This doesn’t happen to everyone but to a ‘select’ few it’s very often far too cold or far too hot.
Long before I was finally diagnosed I was taking extreme precautions. For instance, a summer holiday in hot August would ensure that the first things to pack would be a pair of good quality gloves! There is nothing worse than hands too cold to move on a hot summer day! Of course, I was young then, and I had never experienced (or even heard of) Hot Flashes! These became a constant companion after an early hysterectomy, but soon became a thing of the past.
About five years ago they returned, at least I thought they had. However, temperatures swinging high are just the other side of the hypothyroid coin. So on days when most people are experiencing 31 deg C I’m flailing around shivering in -2C or melting in 45degC. It isn’t funny 😦
The irony is that my actual body temperature rarely goes above 35C!
Anyway. On to crochet.
It’s hard to crochet in gloves! But it’s equally hard to crochet with hands that are too hot, and as for working on a blanket ….
Which is frustrating as that’s what I should be doing.
This is square number 7 and I have 5 more to complete. There’s a deadline, of course, but hot hands, or cold hands come to that, have a way of making their own crochet tension. I can’t afford to spoil what’s already complete, so this project is on hold. HELP!
Fortunately I can work on random small squares. They aren’t precious so are a life saver. More about them next time. Enjoy your July wherever you are.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to find my gloves!
I know you’ve heard me say it before, but yes, my current project IS a secret. So much of the work I do is, until it’s been delivered. I currently have 4 secrets under wraps, but there’s no harm in me showing you the odd glimpse.
Is there?
I adore working in colour. Planning colour schemes is so much fun, and that was the case with all of the above. These blocks are from a variety of soon to be completed blankets – but holding them in my hand, I can see that they would also go well together in a new one!
That orange really zings, doesn’t it. It’s a HOT combination.
The colours aren’t as exact as I would like – blame it on an iPhone and brilliant sunshine.
But there are no complaints about the sunshine……
I had no intention of not posting for so long, but sometimes Life gets in the way, and it’s a question of just running with it.
Flu turned to Bronchitis and then I was forced to go on a cruise to recover! Crochet took a little backseat but I did manage at least one square a day. Here are a few pictures of work in progress and more. Some are finished, but they are for another day.
Now I have some catching up! I also need some more yarn, a big project is about to be started, so I’m off to take advantage of some special offers.
Back soon.
Don’t come close. I have a lurgy and it’s horrible.
I went shopping last Saturday and was fine, had a lovely walk on Sunday, still fine. Felt a bit ‘off’ on Monday but nothing specific, as it were. Then Tuesday happened, and with it all the symptoms of a sinus infection.
These have been part of my life since I was a child. They aren’t fun and can go on for months if not treated kindly. In the ‘old days’ antibiotics would have knocked it on its head quite quickly, but these days they are few and far between. Hot honey and lemon and plain boiled water has been my liquid intake for the past few days, and not much food. I won’t fade away, don’t worry about that!
Yesterday things changed, though. It isn’t just a sinus infection. I won’t go into the rest of the symptoms but they have changed, and to make matters worse the rest of the house is suffering too, and it just a few short days!
Crochet has definitely taken a back seat. It’s been a bit of a chore, which is a shame because I was going to show you a new project.
Have you seen Northern Lights by James Brett? It’s one of the oh so popular ‘cake’ yarns. This one has a good proportion of viscose in it I gather, and that is well known for its silky softness. It comes with a pattern for a knitted shawl. I’ve decided to crochet one, but it hasn’t got very far …
I’ve corrupted the C2C pattern to give it more texture. I’ll tell you more when I feel better. The reason I’m showing you now is that DERAMORES has a 10% discount on the yarn -others too. This one is definitely worth a try. I see that some of the colourways are out of stock, I’m not surprised, but they are all gorgeous – I found it very difficult to choose…..
No, I don’t think this will become a regular feature but it seems a good title for today’s post! I don’t think I’ve miscounted, but we’ll see.
I am really enjoying the temperature projects for February. The colours are stimulating despite the chill in the air.
You may remember that as well as making a temperature blanket showing morning and later temperatures, I am also comparing this year and last year in a Spirit of February blanket
Above I’ve shown yesterday’s squares from both, but as I was joining each I put them next to each other by chance.
Below are the four squares. Some of the colours are the same, but together they are inspiring me to make another blanket at some time. The colours are Stylecraft Special DK:
And yes! That’s seven!!
