A week in the sun

Wow, what happened?  Did someone declare summer 'open' and cut a ribbon?

I don't know about your part of the world, I know some of you will be heading into winter, but here in the usually grey old UK, it is hot, hot, hot!  After all our grumbling and griping all of the chilly spring long, the sun has finally hit and I think most of us and lapping it up.

It's been lovely to do those summery things like cooking on the barbecue and eating al fresco.  Basking in the sun, or in my case, sheltering in the shade.  Splashing in paddling pools or drinking Pimm's.  That's what I've been up to this week.  Gathering rosebuds while I may.

We've also had a little celebration this past week.  A certain little niece of mine has clocked up her first year.  It's gone in a flash.  Well, it has for me, in the role of Aunty anyway.  She's a very cheery sole, quite the cheeky little joker actually.  Her smile is a delight and her chuckles are the cutest thing you'll ever hear.  She's getting a nice shock of hair and is constantly on the move, starting to totter on her toes more and more.  We were invited to a lovely family tea-party in the sun, where the children played in pools and the grown-ups munched on home-made scones and cooling clotted cream.  Yum!  It's been lovely to see her change and grow this year, I can't wait to see what the next one brings.

But it's also nice to enjoy those more peaceful moments, and mine are spent, as often as I can manage, crafting away while tucked in some shady spot.  I've been taking my crochet outside, under the tree and my trusty parasol, re-arranging it regularly for optimum sun protection.  At the peak of the day though, it's even been a little too warm for that, so then I scuttle off indoors to find a cooler place to carry on.

Fortunately my project of choice is these little triangle motifs made with a cotton yarn, so nothing to drape over me and working with cotton is a little cooler than wool.  Although the time is fast approaching when I'll have to join them.  We're off on holiday at the end of the week though, so I'm hoping to manage that bit in the cool air-conditioned car while driving down.  It's for a new pattern idea I'm working on, for a shawl, a very perfect summery shawl I'm hoping.  I've been working away in that pretty mint green, but there's some  more colour to come.  Those balls on the right will be coming into play too, so I'll have to pack those to come along on holiday with me.  Hopefully when I come back, it'll be ready to show you.

But in the meantime, I think I know you all well enough to be sure that'll you'll be wanting the name of the yarn I'm working with.  Am I right?  I thought so... it's Drops Safran. (On sale at time of going to press - just saying!*)  I've not used it before, but I'm liking it.  It's a bit thinner than DK, more of a sport-weight but it's got a nice twist and so doesn't split when you're working it and there are some fab colours.  I've actually just ordered some more, different colours for another plan I have in mind.

The other thing I've been working on this week is this little Louisa Harding caplet.  It's been in my queue for about a hundred years, with plans to make it out of about 20 different yarns at one time or another.  Finally I have started and have selected Rowan Pure Wool in this absolutely delightful shade of duck egg blue.  Which seems to have been one of my most favourite colours for ages now.  In fact, I have quite a 'blue' era that I've been going through behind the scenes over here, but more on that when I return from my travels...

I shall only be gone for a little over a week, but I'm looking forward to having a relaxing time and cooling by the French coast in this wonderfully warm weather.

See you when I return.

S x

♥

*No affiliation on benefit to me or anything of the kind.  This is just my natural desire to be helpful in the matter of stash enlargement at work!

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