Sunshine and flowers

So while most of the UK ended up wasting their afternoons watching the "football" - if you could call it that, with the team loosing hilariously without not seeming any bit interested in being there, I was sat [okki I'll admit I was listening to it on BBC Five Live] outside catching the rays under the apple tree crocheting the back of my cushion cover - that's until I worked out I was doing it wrong and pulled it all out [productive - not!].

But the rents have a bit of a thing for gardening and with the sun shining the colours seem their most gorgeous. With this hopefully being my last summer [for now at least] in the UK I thought i'd try and capture most of the things that make the English summer, English. Or at least just what I get up to in this part of the little bit of England I dwell in. 

Even with clouds the temperature stayed around 30 degrees C all day.

But ... roll on American Summer, and soccer. They might have gone out at the same time as us, but at least the team went out respectfully [*end of football rant*]. 

Distelfink ink

I've been working out the ideas for my next tattoo. Not that I can afford to get it for a while, but I love the designing process as much as I love getting a tattoo done. I think with any tattoo thought and care should always be made when debating what tattoo you want to get, and ultimately why. 

The tattoo I'm next getting is to sit on my right shoulder, it's intended to "balance" me out slightly after getting my last tattoo, the dragonfly over a year and a half ago. The idea that's being tossed around at the moment is a love bird. There are so many gorgeous love bird ideas [ I say love bird loosely - basically mean any bird really] that people already have, often in the sailor style, kinda flashy but gorgeously bright and vivid in colour. 

The idea I'm after is based upon the Pennsylvania [PA] Distelfink - a base of Dutch folk art. Originally intended and designed for use in the 1850s on barns, since the 1940s more colourful, animal versions have developed predominantly for the tourist market. 

The Pennsylvania Distelfink birdie

The above is the basic design i'm going to be working from. But hopefully the finished tattoo with be a LOT different. I'm hoping to droop the flower lower and have a second flower coming in from the right hand side to frame the bird in a love heart. One of the flowers colouring will be the pinks of the PA state flower - the Laurel and the second being a white Yorkshire rose. The colours of the birdie are still up in the air, the images they tend to be based around yellows, oranges, reds and blues. 

There's two reasons as to why - all my tattoos have a reason behind them, I think it's really important. Firstly its because my guy, the guy I want spend the rest of my life with is from PA and its a reflection of him and where we are. Secondly PA is where we're planning on having our very special first road trip around up into the Laurel Mountains for our Honeymoon. It'll be a mark of our love, our life and our future.

SIBOL squares ready for posting!

I think I totally forgot to blog about this project I somehow stumbled across while I was surfing the crochet blogs. The SIBOL [Sunshine International Blankets of Love Project] is a project designed to allow crocheter's and knitters alike to create 6" squares to be put together and delivered to care homes and charities. What a perfect way to get rid and use some of my mam's huge stash of hidden wool ends! Different months have a different theme you can go by [for instance June's theme is blue and white, July is Strawberries and Cream and so on].

The last time I made any crochet squares was when I first learnt to crochet back when I was about 12, for which I made myself a HUGE granny square blanket - nothing complicated, just plain old granny stitch. I still use the blanket to this day, it's just totally falling apart and needs fixing. If I wasn't moving then i'd probably do it. I think I had the notion that crocheted squares would be delightfully "easy" to make after tackling doilies and the like. How wrong was I?!

I got there in the end however and here are the ones i'm sending;

Blue & White for June

Sometimes known as the Afghan Square - this is becoming my favourite kinda square, mainly due to the clusters at the edge

A granny square design - even my mam got in on the act to help!

Now they are all sat in their envelope waiting to get posted tomorrow! I've really, really enjoyed making these, not only for the challenge of trying to crochet something new, but for the knowledge that they will be going to a good cause in the end. 

If any one else is interested in helping, just pop over to the SIBOL blogger site.

Love cards aren't just for Valentines

I've never believed in that love should only be expressed on valentines day. Love is something so magical and amazing that it should be celebrated every day. No matter who and how you love. In a world of fast paced instant communication, love notes/letters seem to have lost their place. I battle against the email to keep them going. Little notes to show just how besotted I am. So I made my own and embellished it with a crocheted heart.

If you fancy making the heart you can find the pattern free on the Crochet Today website here - American crochet terminology applies.