Bundled in Blankets and Crocheted in Colour

This morning we squidged through the mud and shuffled through the ground cover leaves to find ourselves a possie in the spring sunshine, down in the back garden where the fantails flit & other (borrowed) sun-baskers happily emerge from the bushes.

 We haven't been able to mow (or should I say, Rob hasn't) the back lawn for an absolute age due to an over abundance of the wet stuff. Looking more like a meadow just now, but the self-sown primulas are happy & my largely neglected orchid has managed to produce four pretty flower spikes..
Why ever are orchids called spikes & other things are called sprays, I wonder?

 The tentative advent of spring was so welcome & embraceable we drove out to Havelock North yesterday morning, on a whim...& found the most magical place to walk and picnic!

 Plum blossom is always so eager & fragile & passes all too soon.

 Back home, I found some more in our own garden.
Isn't it so fresh & bright?!

 We had more rain earlier in the week & keeping picnic inspirations firmly in mind, we decided to gather all of our vintage blankets from everywhere they have been hiding & sort them in to piles.

 Some are needing some care & repair (master of the blanket stitch!)

 Many have delightful, story telling labels..

 Some people have a blanket folding gift..& others do not!

 Eventually we sorted out a perfect picnic pile.

 Some are personal favourites, of the boy variety.
What do you think..this seemed like a good idea for bundling up blankets & whisking off on an adventure?

 We fiddled around with colours & combinations of picnicinalia..it was fun.
I found the blue English china in St Vinnys. There were 16 pieces in all, for $10.
I like the plain pastel blue & pleasing shape of the cups.

 I love this tiffin tin...it's going to be very handy I'm sure.

 I'm not very good at being a girl.
I'm forever getting grubby & doing silly things with my clothes, like getting green paint on my sweet pink (op shop) top, when re-painting the fruit sign!
There is a pocket either side so I made these teeny tiny hearts from Lucy's Attic24 pattern & I think they've managed to save the day..who knows what I'll manage tomorrow!

 When I made my crocheted wreath a week or too ago I ended up making lots of pretty crocheted flowers. I have kept going & made enough to encircle this lovely old tapestry. I have attached it to some nice thick vintage green blanket & made it in to a cushion.

 I have also made a few more jam jar covers & many, many thanks to Bev at Kainga Happenings, we now have an interpretation of the chart that I started out with.

 Crochet Jam Jar Cover

Start with a loop. 

Round 1. 8 double crochet into loop. Slip stitch together to close round.

Round 2. 3 chain, 1 treble. “ 2 chain, 2 trebles together, 2 chain”  Continue to end repeating “2 chain, 2 trebles together, 2 chain.”  Slip stitch into top of the 1st 3 chain.

Round 3. Slip stitch across to the 1st treble of round 2, 3 chain, 1 treble,  one chain, one treble. 1 treble into the two trebles together of previous round.  Continue on with “1 treble, 1 chain, 1 treble.”  Slip stitch across to the first 3 chains. You will have 24 trebles.

Round 4. 3 chain, 2 treble, “1 chain, 5 treble.” Repeat “1 chain, 5trebles 7 times.” 1 chain, 2 trebles. Slip stitch to top of first 3 chains.  You will have a total of 40 trebles.

Round 5. 3 chain, 3 trebles, 1 chain.  “7 trebles, 1 chain, 7 trebles.” Repeat “7 trebles, 1 chain, 7 trebles.” 7 times. 1 chain, 3 trebles. Slip stitch across to top of 1st 3  chains. You will have a total of 56 trebles.

Round 6. 3 chain, 1 chain, 1 treble, 1 chain, 1 treble.  Repeat until end. Slip stitch across to top of first 3 chain. You will have a total of 32 trebles.

Round 7. 3 chain, 3 trebles into the 1st treble. Double crochet into the next treble. 4 trebles into the next treble. Continue around to end.  Slip stitch to the top of 1st 3 chain.  17 patterns on final round.

(Round 7. on actual pattern. 3 chain, double crochet, 4 trebles on next treble together. Total 16 pattern on final round.)

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I have figured out better how I actually made mine...a little bit made up as I went along, I think & I like it so here it is too:

1. Centre: 3 ch sl st = O

2. 2 ch sc into circle x 7 = 8

3. 3 htr 3 ch x 8 = 8 sets (24 htrs)

4. 4 ch, 2 htr between each htr cluster, 1 htr in gap, 1 ch repeat

5. 1 htr all way around= 40

6. 1 htr 2ch 1 htr...

7. sl st to next gap, 3 ch, 2 tr, 1 htr, 1 ch 1 dc 1ch, 1 htr 2 tr 1 htr...sl st to close.

Weave in ends & thread ribbon through the 6th round.

Hope that all makes enough sense.

Have a lovely week dear ones.
MUCH

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