Ripple stitch rainbow blanket or afghan : progress!!!

This was taken on Sunday 10 May 2009 and I have progresses a bit further in that there are 5 more double rows, ie 5 colours added to the above picture. It's still totally absorbing and it's very relaxing to add a few rows at a time.
Today I had a half hour lunchbreak with no access to anywhere much so I very happily added 2 rows( 1 colour) to the blanket and the colours simply filled me with joy and peace and a contented happiness.

There are instructions in detail on my crochet blog: www.merrysusan.blogspot.com

and by that I mean a step by step tutorial in the form of photographs.

I am still using a 4mm hook and DK pure wool from Yeoman Yarns: available from www.yeomanyarns.co.uk

You have to phone up and ask for the handknitting shade card which they print for you and send in the post, then you can order by phone: It's not online yet.

I have been playing with the colours, not repeating any particular sequence as yet and there are different areas which are my favourites on any given day, my daughters too have their ''most loved'' bits but they also like the choice and the variety.

In that respect it's kind of like a sampler for me. A colourplay crochet sampler.

SEE? I love the sequence from pale blue to the palest turquoise above: from right to left after the red? Not too sure about the 2 orange tones right by the dark navy blue....

But the orange does spark the blue quite well?

I also like the hippy chick bit with all the 70's colours: pink,lime,orange and purple....

And I like the pinks/oranges and reds together.

By last weekend I was on a ''preppy colours'' roll: or classics: you know the sky blue, ''pine'' ( or racing car green as it used to be called) green, royal blue, navy and burgundy.....with a dash of pillarbox red.

It now weighs 666 grammes for 82 rows or 41 stripes and I timed myself today- each single row takes me about 12 minutes so I can do a double row for a single colour in about 24-30 minutes but I tend to do it in very short bursts so it's not really like that most of the time.

It's 112cm wide and the 82 rows are measuring: 82cm.

You're going to have to take my word for it but it's lovely and soft and very very warm and just great to snuggle under - while still crocheting!!!- late at night when the temperature drops and the heating is NOT on to save the planet etc etc etc.....Woolley wonderfulness.

Widthwise it fits nicely from my toes to my chin when sitting down on the comfy sofa.....still crocheting.....

GO ON!!! JOIN ME AND HAVE A GO????

And PLEASE let me know if you do: it would be SUCH a thrill!!!!!

Shrove Tuesday

Hello and HAPPY SHROVE TUESDAY otherwise known as pancake day of course!!!

I have just finished work, walked the dog and taken the children to their ''Kumon'' lessons which helps them with their maths skills as the primary school they attend does not really help them in the most essential of skills.

Let's avoid a discussion of this and concentrate on the jolly and colourful day I began with.

First of all a cup of tea by the flowers in the kitchen and grinding up a tablet of raspberry leaf tea to give part to the dog to help her with her imminent whelping. ( that's having puppies by the way- I only learned that the other day!)

Then on with some carrot sticks for lunch- the dog loves the ribbons of carrot peel and I prefer homemade ones to the bags of machined sticks you can buy- these just taste so much better?

The girls and I have them in our luchboxes with yummy tomato-houmous.( from an unnamed but popular local supermarket)

Birds were singing early today and the sounds of Spring always cheer me up enormously, how about you? Been a bit down lately what with work being a tad tedious and the economy and all the bad news about people's jobs etc etc.

So the blackbirds singing their little hearts out were just great such a treat and there's more: lambs in a field just up the road and lots of piglets on the way to the Kumon centre. Showy white snowdrops in abundance everywhere: in the graveyard by the church, around the cricket pitch and by the roadside.

I will try to capture them on camera this week if I can.

Oooh the smell the pancakes is drifting into my workroom from the kitchen: H( for husband) is frying the pancakes and it smells DIVINE! yum : I'll be off to eat them but I leave you with the applecakes my eldest made at the weekend: if you're tempted I'll post the recipe in the next visit!!!

MMMM they are every bit as delicious as they look!

And as a goodbye for now here is the crochet backpack that I'll be working on tonight at the local sticth'n bitch group.

Didn't think I'd leave with no stitching in view did you?