Cockerel, Squares, and Pretty Town

Hello blogging friends! Well I don't know where the past week has gone - but gone it has and it won't be back! I know by some of the recent posts I've caught up with that there has been a general busy-ness among you with lots of lovely results showing from your activities, and so now it's time to show you what I've been up to!

First off I'm showing you a cockerel that I appliquéd a while back - and in fact it may be as far back as five years ago! You see, I went to a day workshop and 'produced' this bird - finishing it off at home cause there wasn't enough time to bring it to completion in the class - but since then it's been folded up in a drawer as I couldn't decide what to do with it! Well it wasn't that I didn't like it - I really did - but making it into a cushion would have been a bit risky because when it finally needed to be washed, as it surely would sometime, I thought the little bird might disintegrate.

So there it's been hiding, quite forgotten for a while, until I needed to appliqué a little thing onto the front of 'Annie's' apron (see previous post), and needed to re-check on how to do it! Well, like I said, it was a while ago! Then on one of Sue's posts sweetpeafamilyblog.blogspot,com I spotted a lovely chook on a card so that was another prompt for me to do something about my poor little cockerel. Anyway, to cut a long story short, as soon as my little bird hopped out of the drawer J said we should have him framed and hang him up, so that is the next job planned when we make the next trip into Albany.

Do have a look at him before he goes behind glass!

Do you think he's worth the expense of framing?

So what have I actually been doing this past week! Well, for starters I have rested my ripple blanket because I needed some calming colours, just for a change. You may remember me mentioning a while back that, apart from the rainbow colours for the ripple blanket, I had quite a few more muted shades in the Stylecraft Special DK with which I would probably do another blanket? Yes, well, that's what I've been doing, using two blocks from Jan Eaton's '200 Crochet Blocks' book, namely Number 35, Tricolour Square, and Number 55 Centred Square.

I did run into a slight, but easily fixable, problem which unfortunately I didn't realise until joining time: the stitch count on the final round of the No. 35 squares was a bit less than those on the Number 55, and the size was slightly smaller too, so I then had to work another round and increase a little on the corners. It worked out fine but was a bit of a nuisance 'cause I really wanted to get those squares joined up. You know the feeling I'm sure, you've come to this stage and longing to see it all together but have to be patient a bit longer! That's all! But another lesson learned and I will be more particular another time and maybe just follow Jan's suggestions regarding her mix-and-match blocks, for after all, there were plenty others I could have used!

I chose blues:

And pinks and mauves;

Then I laid them out, working towards a nice balance, and at the same time pairing the colours up as best as I could:

And here we have them joined and waiting for the next step: will it be more blocks or will it be a wide stripey granny border, or what? I haven't decided but I do know there won't be any more of no. 35 or no. 55 because I need a bit of variety again! Well, that's just me isn't it! Do you need variety, or can you carry on with the same thing over and over again? I suppose it depends on the situation eh!




Now it just remains for me to show you some pics of our lovely river. This is prompted by me seeing a particular pic on Sharron's last blog  ('Annie's Place' - hookandbake.blogspot.co,) which really resembled, to me, this part of the river area in our little town. Perhaps if I saw the two photos together, side by side, I may say no, they're not all that similar, but the resemblance was enough to get me busy with the camera anyway:

And so my friends that's it for this time! I'm off to feed a hungry husband - and myself probably - then back into working on that blanket to see what creative notion takes me - I kinda think it's beginning to feel like lots of coloured stripes - we'll see - watch this space!

Thank you all again for your lovely comments on my previous posts - I do so enjoy reading and replying to them, as well as following your lovely blogs. This blogging has become quite exciting for me and it's all due to you lovely folks out there who take the time and care enough to connect with me. Thank you!

Be good to yourselves and each other and I wish you happy crafting times.

❤Joy xx