the week that was

The good weather continued for most of the last week, and the garden loved it,

but out water butts were getting empty quickly.

                                                     Most of our violas survived the winter 
                                            and are now starting to push their sweet faces up.

I made most of the good days, spending as much time outside as I could; 

it was warm, but not too hot to handle wool 

and I made quite a progress on my new crochet project - the Arabian Nights.

Typically, the badly needed rain came over the weekend, and as I am writing this, I can hear the rain hammering on the roof again - it is the start of the half term school holiday, of course, bad timing. 😢

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2010-2019

The start of Arabian Nights

"Arabian Nights" is the name of my new crochet blanket, designed by Amanda Perkins, from her book "Rainbow Crochet Blankets.

I like the combination of square and triangle motifs, and I just love the colours of the original design,

although the book suggests alternative colour combinations.

The individual motifs are joined together straight away, which means that there is not going to be the long job of joining blocks together at the end. I have also been very disciplined this time, weaving all ends in after every row.

Self proclaimed "wool snob", Amanda makes most of her blankets in natural fibres, wool, or combination of wool, silk or alpaca. That of course is not easy on the pocket, but I suppose it is worth it in the long run, special projects deserve the best one can afford. 

My pocket doesn't allow me to make the whole blanket in wool only, so I am using combinations of various yarns, some beautiful wool, some mixtures of wool and man made fibres; 

some from my stash, some specially bought, but all very soft, in beautiful shades.

Recent warm weather was a push the garden needed,  

there is quite a bit of colour coming through.

I am having a rather lazy day, finishing a book I started reading outside earlier in the week.

                Of course, it is about much more than the title suggests.

And more flowers indoors -

the clivia has decided to flower for the second time this year (unusual)

and the streptocarpus is also in full swing.

I wish you all a wonderful week!

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2010-2019

Friday out

Unfortunately we picked a rather dull day, and it turnout to be much colder then earlier in the week, but we did not go very far, just some 40 minutes drive to a couple of National Trust properties, to see what is growing in their gardens.

It is the slightly strange time, when most of spring planting has gone over and summer hasn't quite yet arrived.

Lytes Cary Manor

A short drive from Lytes Cary Manor is

Tintinhull Garden .

  There is little more colour here.

What a beautiful, unusual rose;

but I think this is my favourite picture, this one feels like summer.

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2010-2019