By Helen

crochet rainbows…

Last weekend in the UK, the weather turned very showery.  One minute it was sunny: the next minute heavy showers.  The up-side of the showers, were the beautiful, beautiful, rainbows that filled up the sky.  There really is something very special about seeing a rainbow, and imagining the possibilities that you could find at it’s end.   The rainbows made me smile and made me remember the wonderfully optimistic sentiment: when it rains: look for rainbows.  Browsing on Folksy I came across this amazing piece of art by artist Sarah Francis…

Unfortunately (or fortunately for my purse) the artwork was out of stock: but it got me thinking about crochet.  At the bottom of my stash, I found some yarn by Louise Harding: the mottled grey colour reminded me of the moodiness of the sky, just before a storm…

Add a few crochet flowers in rainbow colours, pinned on the wreath using shimmery pins (to represent rain drops) and ta-dah…

A rainbow inspired crochet project, started and finished during one long rain shower.  So, next time it rains: remember to look for rainbows and you’ll never know what it at the end of the rainbow until you look. 

Happy crochet and happy searching…

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walking in the countryside…

Are you enjoying the lovely sunshine?  I certainly I am.  The only down-side to all this sunshine is that crochet takes a back-seat, as I want to be out and about.  Si and I decided to really enjoy the sunshine and go on a long walk.  Well six miles: quite long for us – I don’t know about you?  It is a walk that we have been meaning to do for a long time, but somehow have never got round to it.  Like out visit to Birmham Rocks we’ve been meaning to go for eleven years now: but somehow never got round to it.  Tut-tut to us.   The sun was shining, we were up and about so we decided to do the walk from Helmsley,  a beautiful market town nestled in North Yorkshire, to Rievaulx Abbey and back again.   Naturally I took my camera, so you can come along with us…

The walk started in Helmsley, I can’t stress just how lovely Helmsley is, if you can visit it: do.  It has everything; tea-shops, antique shops, pubs, bookshops, charity shops, a wool shop, a brilliant Friday market, even a castle…

After walking away from the castle, we found ourselves in dappled shade of woodlands full of wild flowers…

Passing by a gentle meandering steam…

With beautiful a bridge spanning the stream…

Baby geese enjoying the steam and sunshine as much as us…

After an hour or so of pottering along, we were treated with a view of our destination…

Arriving at Rievaulx Abbey we treated ourselves to a light lunch in the tea-room then spent a happy couple of hours wondering around the Abbey..

After that we made our way back along the same path to Helmsley.  We both really enjoyed the day and are now planning lots more walks.  It really is good for the soul to be out and about!  I can’t wait…

crochet forget-me-not bracelet…

For June’s crochet flower of the month, I was inspired by all the forget-me-nots that I saw when out walking in woodlands.  I hope you like it…

In case you do, here’s how I made it…

I gathered together all the bits and pieces I would need: forget-me-not blue yarn, a teeny-tiny crochet hook (for the DK yarn I used a 2mm hook), ribbon, hook and eye (for the fastenings), beads, needle, scissors and glue…

I love how the acid green ribbon looks against the forget-me-not yarn…

I started by tying the hook and eye to the end of the ribbon…

Decorating the ends of the ribbon with some beads…

I crocheted three forget-me-knots, using my blossom pattern; next I sewed little yellow beads to the centre, and then glued them to the ribbon…

Leave the glue to dry, then ta-dah…

Your very own crochet forget-me-not bracelet.  Let me know how you get on…

crochet inspired by yo-yo patchwork…

I love that inspiration is all around us.  Usually when I am stuck for something to crochet, I look to nature and find myself crocheting flowers.  My inspiration doesn’t always come from nature.  Sometimes it hits when I’m wondering around York, looking at the amazing architecture (more about that in another post).  Sometimes I get inspiration from looking at the work of other very talented people out there.  Sometimes I get inspiration from visiting museums and galleries.  My latest crochet combines that last two: other people work and a visit to a museum.   I often visit the Quilt Museum, in York, I’ve mentioned it before.  On my last visit I came across the cutest little yo-yo patchwork (also known as Suffolk Puff patchwork).  I had to know more.  Thanks to the wonder of the internet I came across an amazing blog Sew Recyled.  I knew that I had to have ago: crochet style.  While I was flicking through one of my favourite crochet books Crochet Throws and Wraps by the talented Melody Griffiths: I came across instructions for crochet yo-yo patchwork / Suffolk Puffs.  Perfect…

I crocheted lots…

Using a wonderful yarn, by King Cole…

I decided to attach my crochet to a cushion cover…

I love how the colour change of the yarn gives so much variety from one ball…

I really think that the possibilities are endless, changing the yarn and hook size, you could have some real fun!  Crochet meets patchwork: a very happy combination. 

walking in the sunshine…

Here in England the weather-men tell us that it has been the coldest Spring in years: I am not surprised, I am still wearing winter clothes and my toes have forgotten what it feels like to be in sandals.  Yesterday, the last day of May, the sun shone: so I put on my sandals and went for a walk.  I didn’t go very far, just wandered along the river bank, close to where I live in York.  The river is so close that it is less than a minute from my front door.  I am very lucky: if you turn left at the end of my street you can be in the centre of York in ten minutes, if you turn right and walk for ten minutes you wouldn’t know that you were in the city.  The walk was soooooooo pretty; the river banks were full of wild flowers and the hedges quite literally sang, with all the birds hiding in them.  One of my favourite things was seeing the blossom still on the trees with the bright blue sky behind….

Just lovely, it made my heart sing.  The blossom and blue sky made me hopefully that we will have a Summer full of sunshine and warmth.  Today is the first day of June, and do you know what?  The sun is still shining, so maybe, just maybe...

Hope that the sunshines for you?  Have a good weekend...

xxx