Hooky Love

Hello all!

Well, I hope whichever part of the world you're in it is nicer than mine at the moment.

As predicted by the weathermen it has rained.

All day.

It has not stopped.

It has however, given me a chance to do some dyeing without the feeling I'm missing out on sunshine, so not all bad.

I've had much excitement this week. I've joined a recorder group!

Before you all start to giggle, we have a full ensemble ~ 1 bass, 1 treble,

3 tenors and 2 descants.

I was playing descant on DS' funky green recorder.

Despite the fact that it is green and plastic it plays just as well as an expensive one and I love it. I stood with trepidation with my green recorder in hand, I'm ok, but not great and the others in the group soon put me to shame, but the overall sound (not helped by me) was really rather good. We played a tudor piece which was just beautiful. I pretended to play (top A B F and G all new notes to me!) and tried to keep up. I left having had a great evening but feeling rather inadequate, I have practised every day since and .............I'm getting better. I've got top F and G, A and B are nearly there. I can't wait for the next meeting!

I've been carrying on with Little Granny Squares and suddenly hit on a colourway that I liked. Not that I didn't like the others, but this combo I really liked.

I carried on adding more rounds.

I had a nose around the Cath Kidson Group on Ravelry and the Cath Kidson website (her blanket costs £160 *ahem*.)

I played around and came up with a few colour combos.

This wasn't quite right......

.......or this.........

................................but this is perfect!

I'm so, so happy with this.

Now, I do like a nice yarn, and to be perfectly honest, would usually turn up my nose a squeaky acrylic, but this square is sending me into hooky heaven.

One of the teachers at school is pregnant so I'm going to make her a baby blankie.

I have 5 of these squares made so far and I'm pretty darn pleased with them.

In the garden ~ the Dragon Arum (Stinky Plant) has flowered. It had lots of flies attracted to it, and for the first time had not 1 but 2 flowers.

It's gone over now, only lasts a few days.

Those alliums are breaking out into flower, all of them self seeded. Don't you just love it when that happens? I do.

Not all in the garden is a success story though. Can you see the beetroot and carrots growing here? Nope. Well nor can I, just a bumper crop of Opium Poppies. I do love poppies and I know these will be stunning when in flower but I like a bit of beetroot too.

Something doing well however is my blackberry. Covered in flowers and berries, Mr Clicky Needles bought me this last year. I L-O-V-E blackberries and have happy memories of blackberrying with my Mum when I was little. Shovelling them into my mouth rather than the bowl, getting stained fingers and then bringing them home and making blackberry jelly. Any extras went into the freezer and saw us good for blackberry and apple crumble through the winter. Home made blackberry jelly tastes sooooooo much better than the stuff I buy in the supermarket.

I'm not sure I'm going to have enough for blackberry jelly but I can always live in hope.....

I'd like to thank Teresa for her lovely comment last week ~ you can come again! I left Teresa a comment, I think that lots of people are planning to visit her ( I would if I was in her neck of the woods.) I imagine hoards of people trooping up her drive, popping in for a cup of tea.

Righto I must get going now...ironing or hooky happiness which shall I choose?

Have fun in your week...............Clicky Needles.